On a hot Monday afternoon, approximately 6,000 senior citizens gathered outside the Senate in Pasay City, demanding the passage of House Bill No. 10423. This bill, which aims to provide a universal social pension to all senior citizens, was passed by the House of Representatives back in May 2024. The rally was spearheaded by the United Senior Citizens party-list, highlighting the urgency and frustration felt by many elderly Filipinos.
Representative Milagros Magsaysay of the United Senior Citizens party-list expressed her disappointment in an interview, stating that despite the patience and anticipation of the elderly, the Senate has yet to act on the bill. She pointed out that the 19th Congress is nearing its end, and the bill has been pending in the Senate for eight months since its arrival on May 22, 2024.
If enacted, House Bill No. 10423 would modify the existing Senior Citizens Act (Republic Act 7432), which currently provides a PHP1,000 monthly pension to over four million indigent senior citizens. The new bill proposes to extend a PHP500 monthly pension to approximately seven million non-indigent senior citizens. Over the next five years, this amount would incrementally increase by PHP100 annually, ensuring that all senior citizens receive at least PHP1,000 monthly, irrespective of other pension benefits.
Additionally, the bill proposes shifting the administration of the universal pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to the National Commission of Senior Citizens within three years, aiming for more specialized management of senior citizen welfare.