In a significant move to support the elderly, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Calabarzon region has disbursed PHP4 billion to more than 330,000 indigent senior citizens this year. This initiative falls under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program, aimed at providing financial assistance to the region’s most vulnerable elderly population.
Joseph Constantine Arceo, the regional public information officer for DSWD, highlighted that the monthly pension has been raised from PHP500 to PHP1,000, following the mandate of Republic Act 11916. This increase is intended to better support the living expenses of the elderly.
The Calabarzon region, encompassing the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon, has seen a structured approach to the distribution of these funds. Eligible recipients are those elderly who are frail, ill, receive little to no family support, and are not beneficiaries of other pension schemes such as those from the Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Social Security System, or other insurance entities.
Arceo explained that the DSWD managed the payouts directly, while also transferring some funds to local government units (LGUs) for distribution, ensuring DSWD personnel were on hand to oversee the process.
In addition to the pension payouts, the DSWD also provided PHP300,000 in capital assistance to 28 members of the Bucaowin Sustainable Livelihood Program Association in Bucao, Polillo, Quezon. This funding is earmarked for their fish-buy-and-sell business, aiming to foster alternative income sources for the association members in collaboration with the local government.