By Connie Calipay
In Legazpi City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-5 (Bicol) has disbursed social pensions to nearly 4,000 impoverished senior citizens in Camarines Sur.
According to Jastine Joy Dichoso Escuro, the information officer for DSWD-5 social pensions, eligible seniors received assistance of PHP6,000 each, covering a six-month period during the payout held on March 24-26.
Escuro noted that since the increase of the social pension from PHP500 to PHP1,000, elderly residents of Ragay town in Camarines Sur became the first beneficiaries in the region. Currently, four local government units (LGUs) from Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte are scheduled for payout this April, with ongoing processing for other LGUs.
She said the assistance given by the national government was intended for their sustenance and medical support.
The eligible beneficiaries are senior citizens who are indigent or have a disability, those who are frail, sickly, or without any regular income or support from their family or relatives, not receiving any pensions from the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI), or any private insurance company.
Escuro said 288,155 indigent senior citizens are qualified to receive social pension benefits in the Bicol region.
The social pension program implementers require beneficiaries to be available at home for proper identification during validation, a media release of the DSWD-5 said. (PNA)
