DSWD starts payout for ‘social pension’ beneficiaries

FILE: Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez (middle, with wristwatch), the chief implementer of the government’s national policy on addressing the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, leads the house-to-house delivery of the PHP8,000 cash as a government subsidy for those affected by the enhanced community quarantine. The distribution was conducted at Barangay Vitalez, Parañaque City on Friday (April 3, 2020). (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday said it has started the first-semester payout of its Social Pension (SocPen) program to augment the needs of indigent senior citizens during the enhanced community quarantine

In a press release, DSWD said as of April 29, a total of 227,876 indigent senior citizens from Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Caraga have already received their pension for the first semester amounting to PHP3,000 each at PHP500 per month from January to June, equivalent to more than PHP674 million.

Meanwhile, other DSWD field offices (FOs) are now finalizing the fund transfer process with concerned local government units (LGUs) for the immediate release of the stipend of the remaining beneficiaries.

To ensure the efficient payout, DSWD FOs will provide the official list of social pensioners to LGUs and forge a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the distribution of the grant specifically during the community quarantine.

Once the MOA is signed, DSWD, through its FOs, will transfer the fund to concerned LGUs for payout to beneficiaries.

Some DSWD FOs, it said, are also doing cash payouts directly to the senior citizen-beneficiaries through their special disbursing officers (SDO).

However, DSWD said the distribution schedules may depend due to the community quarantine and other circumstances in the area.

SocPen is a program under Republic Act No. 9994 or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” which provides monthly stipend amounting to PHP500 to indigent senior citizens to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs.

It is distributed on a semestral basis at PHP3,000 per semester or PHP500 per month for six months.

The law specifies that seniors qualified to receive social pension are those who are frail, sickly or with disability; without any pension from other government agencies; and without a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs.

DSWD assured the public that it will adhere to existing safety and health protocols in determining the best payout method to lessen the exposure of its beneficiaries and personnel to the coronavirus disease. (PR)