Sulong Dignidad Party-list said it will push for legislation that will double the amount of monthly social pension for indigent senior citizens from the current P500 to P1,000.
Sulong Dignidad Party-list president and first nominee lawyer Rico Paolo Quicho said doubling the social pension for seniors is necessary to help offset the increasing prices of basic commodities.
“While the prices of basic commodities continue to rise, the original P500 monthly social pension has not increased since 2010,” Quicho said.
“Bukod sa araw-araw na pangangailangan gaya ng pagkain, marami po sa ating mga senior citizens ang nangangailangan na rin ng mga gamot at iba pang medical services. Kailangan na po nating dagdagan ang kanilang social pension,” Quicho added.
The Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, which currently covers 3.4 million indigent seniors, is the government’s assistance for poor seniors to augment their daily needs.
The program started in 2011 through Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and is being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Aside from increasing the social pension, Quicho said Sulong Dignidad will push for a review and assessment of how the program is implemented after receiving complaints from indigent seniors.
“We need to constantly monitor the implementation of the program. Gaya ng 4Ps, marami po tayong natatanggap na mga reklamo na ang ibang qualified seniors ay hindi nasasama sa listahan ng beneficiaries,” he added.
The law specifies that seniors qualified to receive the P500 monthly pension under the Social Pension Program are those who are frail, sickly or with disability; without any pension from other government agencies; and without a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs.
Currently, social workers of the local government units (LGUs) are tasked to validate and determine the qualified indigent senior citizens from the list submitted by the Senior Citizens Affairs Office (OSCA). The validated list will then be submitted to the DSWD for final assessment.