By Charissa Luci-Atienza
Indigent senior citizens whose social pension has been delayed for the second semester of 2019 will still receive their stipends from the government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured on Sunday, May 3.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (MANILA BULLETIN)
DSWD Undersecretary Rene Glen Paje said the beneficiaries of Social Pension (SocPen) Program who were affected by the delayed release of social pension will get their six months’ worth of social pension from July 2019 to December 2019 in due time.
"Kung may delay, 'yan po ay babayaran pa rin. Ibibigay pa rin po sa kanila. Alam nyo naman po ang COA rules ay hindi ganun kaluwag napakahigpit po yan, kaya di po makakalusot," he said in a radio interview on Sunday.
(If there was delay, it will still be paid. It will be given to them. As you know, COA (Commission On Audit) rules are not that lax, they are very strict, you cannot circumvent it.)
"Kung mayroong hindi nabayaran sa SocPen ay ibibigay po yan. Utang po yan ng DSWD sa mga pensioners," Paje pointed out.
(If there are those who were not paid by SoCPen, will be given. The DSWD owes the pensioners.)
In an interview on Saturday night, DSWD Spokesperson Irene Dumlao also made the same assurance, saying those who included in the "clean list" of SocPen beneficiaries can claim their pension.
"Kung kayo ay kabilang sa clean list at napatunayan na hindi tumatanggap ng anumang pension, at walang tinatanggap na suporta mula sa inyong pamilya, kayo ay makakatanggap ng inyong social pension for the second semester ng 2019 at gayundin po sa first semester ng 2020," she said.
(If you are included in the clean list at are proven that you are not receiving any pension and any suppprt from your family members, you will receive your social pension for the second semester of 2019 and for the first semester of 2020.)
She noted that last year, there was a "revalidation" of the list of the SocPen beneficiaries following the recommendation of COA.
"Naglabas ang COA ng rekomendasyon na magsagawa ng revalidation. Kaya nag-utos ang ating Kalihim Rolando Bautista na magsagawa ng masususing revalidation para masiguro natin na yung kabilang sa program ay totoong hindi tumatanggap pension at walang tinatanggap na suporta mula sa immediate family members," Dumlao said.
(COA issued a recommendation that a revalidation must be conducted. That is why our Secretary Rolando Bautista directed a full revalidation to ensure that the program beneficiaries are truly not receiving any pension and any support from their family members.)
She advised the SocPen beneficiaries to wait for the announcement of the local government units (LGUs) regarding the schedule on social pension payouts.
Dumlao earlier disclosed that a total of 312, 256 already received their P3,000 social pension for the first semester from January to June.
She said the social pension distributed to the SocPen recipients amounted to more than P936.7 million.