Majority of Filipinos want the government to increase the monthly pension of senior citizens despite claims from the government that the move could leave the Social Security System bankrupt, the recent The Standard Poll showed.
At least 58 percent of voters backed the measure passed by Congress seeking a P2,000 increase in SSS pension, which was eventually vetoed by President Benigno Aquino III.
Opposition to Aquino’s veto was highest in the National Capital Region, where 68 percent of the survey respondents said the pension increase should have pushed through. Only 21 percent of Metro Manila-based voters said they disagree with the pension hike for a net agreement of +35.
Across other geographic areas, the same sentiment was posted by majority of respondents in North/Central Luzon (61 percent), South Luzon/Bicol (55 percent), Visayas (61 percent), and Mindanao (52 percent).
Majority of respondents from both urban (62 percent) and rural (56 percent) areas were also against the veto of the SSS pension increase measure, which members of the House of Representatives deliberately did not override before going on recess last week.
The survey, conducted by resident pollster Junie Laylo from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 had 3,000 respondents—all of whom are registered voters with biometrics and who said they are sure to vote in next year’s elections—from 79 provinces across the country and the 17 cities in the NCR. It has a margin of error of +/- 1.8 percent nationwide.
Aquino earlier defended his decision to veto the measure that would have benefited 2.1 million senior pensioners, saying the government must exercise prudence.
“So we implement a proposal that benefits only one group, and just say sorry to all the others? And after that, what do we say: come what may or let’s leave it up to Batman? That’s not right,” he said.
The President’s veto irked several labor groups, who accused him of being heartless and callous.
“Vetoing the P2,000 increase in SSS pension shows how inconsiderate and heartless the administration is,” said Julius Cainglet, assistant vice president of the Federation of Free Workers. “They bark about the Philippines’ unprecedented growth and yet, they cannot put their money where their mouth is.”
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said Aquino has no compassion for the retirees from the private sector.
“Some officials had salaries and bonuses that amounted to P4 to P5 million each for that year. Such is the irony of daang matuwid. The public must express its unequivocal rejection of this regime, through mass protests and through the ballot in May,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes.
