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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider DSWD: No need for elderly to join organizations to avail of social pension

DSWD: No need for elderly to join organizations to avail of social pension

Published Nov 20, 2020 10:25 am

ILOILO CITY—The Western Visayas regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-6) has clarified that the elderly need not join organizations to be entitled to social pension.

“We respect the right of senior citizens to form organizations and become members of these groups. However, we want to clarify that DSWD does not require membership to any organization,” clarified DSWD-6 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre.

DSWD-6 Information Officer May Rago said this supposed additional requirement was raised by some of the elderly, who were beneficiaries of Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces, as well as the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.

“This is not true. There’s no need for membership.  Having a senior citizen ID is enough,” Rago told Manila Bulletin in an interview Thursday, November 19.

Eligible senior citizens are those who are 60 years old and above. They must be frail, sickly, have no financial support from family, and do not receive any pension at all.

“These are the only eligibility criteria for the Social Pension program. Nobody can compel the elderly to join an organization for the sake of receiving the pension,” Macapobre reiterated.

Meanwhile, DSWD-6 has released more than 72 percent of the social pension of the 365,908 beneficiaries across the region or an equivalent of P933.3 million. Each elderly is entitled to P6,000 cash aid per year.

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