Over 150K indigent elderly in WV receive social pension

ILOILO CITY, May 12 (PIA) -- Some 150,804 indigent elderly in Western Visayas have already received their social pension.

Department of Social Welfare and Development 6 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre disclosed that the government has already paid out a total of P452,412,000 as of May 11 to the indigent senior citizens in the Region.

Department of Social Welfare and Development 6 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre reveals that the government has already paid out a total of P452,412,000 as of May 11 to the indigent senior citizens in the Region. (PIA photo)

Macapobre, during the virtual presser, May 11, said that the government assistance of P3,000 for each beneficiary represents the social pension for the first six months of this year.

Payout by the local government units that have not completed yet the distribution of said assistance to the remaining senior citizens is ongoing, she said.

Data from DSWD 6 showed that there are more than 365,000 indigent senior citizens in Western Visayas.

The government is granting P500 per month social pension to qualified senior citizens based on Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 to help augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs.

Likewise, Macapobre revealed that aside from the distribution of the subsidy assistance under the Social Amelioration Program, DSWD has also distributed to various LGUs in the Region a total of 53,771 family food packs costing P20,118,555 as of May 10.

“We have also paid out P32,526,750 to 6,995 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in Western Visayas who have no cash card,” she said, adding that the they are expecting to finish the payout to the remaining more than 800 beneficiaries this week.

On the other hand, DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said that the agency continues to give out social pension for the indigent senior citizens.

“We have given P1.8 billion to 614,978 pensioners,” Bautista said during the Laging Handa Network Briefing, May 11, organized by the Philippine Information Agency and hosted by Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar.

He said that P89.3 billion had been given to 15.87 million out of the 18 million beneficiaries of the SAP so far.

Bautista added that more than 737,000 family food packs have also been distributed to LGUs and the cost of which has reached P291.8 million. (JBG/PIA6)

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