TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already released PHP65 million to poor elderlies in Eastern Visayas under the government’s social pension program.
Joshua Kempis, DSWD regional information officer said in a phone interview on Thursday the amount represents only the allotment for the first quarter of 2022 in the entire region.
Of the 43,737 indigent senior citizens who received the social pension in the region as of May 10, at least 20,415 are from Leyte, 3,799 from Biliran, 6,027 from Samar, 10,436 from Eastern Samar, and 3,060 from Northern Samar.
“Each senior citizen receives PHP500 monthly. The program seeks to augment the daily subsistence and other medical of our elderlies. On the schedule on releases, we urge the beneficiaries to coordinate with their local social welfare and development officers,” Kempis said in a phone interview.
Eligible to receive the grants are those aged 60 and older who are sick, frail, or with a disability, without a pension from the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc., and other insurance companies.
Also qualified are those without a permanent source of income or regular support from their relatives.
Elderly beneficiaries are selected from the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction and the list of identified senior citizens is then validated at the local level.
However, local government units also accept applications at the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs for their benefit.
Source: pna.gov.ph