DSWD: Only indigent SCs qualify for social pension

THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has reminded the public that only indigent senior citizens are qualified to receive the social pension.

“As much as DSWD would want to include all senior citizens, the budget for the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) is limited,” a statement said.

The agency clarifies that the law specifies that seniors qualified to receive social pension are those who are frail, sickly or with disability.

The DSWD also mandated that the qualified seniors must be without any pension from other government agencies and a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs, including other pensions from the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), and private insurance companies.

“Under the guidelines of the program, the Barangay Senior Citizens Association may recom

mend or submit a list of potential beneficiaries to the OSCA Head or to the C/ MSWDO. The OSCA Head shall consolidate the list of all potential beneficiaries certified by the C/MSWDO for submission to the concerned DSWD Field Office (FO),” the DSWD said in a media release.

Further, the DSWD has vowed to conduct strict screening so that only rightful beneficiaries will get the pension.

The social pension is provided under Republic Act (RA) 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, that provides monthly stipend amounting to P500 “to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens.”

The said program is implemented by DSWD under the SPISC Program in coordination with City or Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/ MSWDO) as well as with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).