A House leader on Friday urged the Department of Social Welfare and Development to release the P500 monthly pension for millions of indigent senior citizens every three months, instead of every six months.
In Resolution 1047, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City said Covid-19 “has affected and disrupted the lives of all Filipinos, with the end to this pandemic still nowhere in sight as the number of cases still continues to increase.”
“Due to lockdowns and quarantines in many parts of the country, many businesses struggled, resulting in loss of jobs for many Filipinos, including senior citizens who are still productive members of society,” Rodriguez said.
“Now more than ever, these indigent senior citizens need financial assistance from the government,” he said.
According to Rodriguez, many beneficiaries of the government’s social pension program in Cagayan de Oro City and other parts of the country have complained to him that six months is too long for them to wait for such assistance.
“They need it to augment whatever money they have for their maintenance medicines, food and other essentials,” he said.
His resolution prods the House of Representatives to express its collective consensus for the release of the senior citizen pension every three months.
Under a DSWD memorandum circular, the P500 monthly financial aid is to be given “every six months or P3,000 per semester.”
Some P23.2 billion is allocated in the 2020 national budget for the senior citizen assistance program. There are more than three million beneficiaries.
Earlier, Rodriguez urged the Social Security System to release the additional P1,000 increase in the monthly pension of private sector retirees, many of whom are in their senior years.
He reminded SSS officials that they promised to give the adjustment last year, which means, he said, it is now delayed by a year.