3,800 more senior citizens join Taguig pension program

In Taguig City, grandpas and grandmas are happy. (Photo: Eugene Alvin Villar/ Wikipedia)

MANILA, April 2 (PNA) –In Taguig City, grandpas and grandmas are happy.

As a result of the City’s efficient 88 percent rate of distribution of social pensions for elderly persons in the 3rd quarter of 2016, the Department of Social Welfare and Development granted Taguig an additional 3,828 beneficiary slots for the government’s social pension program. This means that the total beneficiaries of the City is now 8,071 or a jump of 90 percent from last year’s figure of 4,243.

“We are very pleased with this opportunity because more Taguigeño senior citizens will benefit from the social pension program,” Ramonita Jordan, head of the Office for Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) said.

The PHP1,500 social pension is given quarterly in cash to beneficiaries. Indigent senior citizens are gathered depending on their barangays for the distribution. For the first quarter of 2017, the social pension distribution will run for seven days from April 3-5 at the Ususan Covered Court, April 6-7 at the North Signal Plaza 7 and April 10-11 at the Taguig Lakeshore Hall.

Pensioners are required to bring their senior citizen ID card and a signed photocopy of the said ID card. Authorized representatives should bring an authorization letter, the senior citizen card of the beneficiary, a valid ID card and a photo of the senior citizen holding a newspaper dated before the scheduled payout.

The recipients are indigent senior citizens of the city who have documents which prove that they are not receiving any pension from other government agencies like the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

Jordan noted that the monetary assistance from the government has been a huge help to the elderly, who are mostly widows whose children already have their own families to take care of.

Asked how her office was able to attain a high efficiency rating for the distribution of the social pension, Jordan said the reason is strict adherence to DSWD rules.

She revealed that her office places a premium on the comfort of the city’s elderly indigents when they come to receive their pension.

During the distribution of social pension, Jordan said that snacks and beverages are given to the beneficiaries to make sure they feel comfortable and well-cared for.

Apart from their pension, elderly indigents in Taguig receive birthday cash gifts amounting to PHP1,500. And for the past three years, resident centenarians have been receiving PHP100,000 annually.

The City also conducts house-to-house delivery of free maintenance medicines for diabetes, high blood and asthma. The elderly is also the one of the top priorities for the TLC Home Care Service, a program which the city pioneered in 2015 to provide free nursing services to residents at the comfort of their own homes.

Senior citizens can also avail of free eye checkups and prescription glasses under the Oplan Linaw program.

“It’s not all about physical welfare however. The City also wants its senior citizens to enjoy leisure activities. Thus, they can also avail and enjoy free film showing every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at movie houses located in the city,” Jordan added.

The city government also plans to build a 5-story building with a park that will serve as a recreational area for its elderly citizens