Bayan Muna Party List Representative Carlos Zarate called for an increase in the social pension for elderly people on Thursday, September 30.
During the House of Representatives' deliberation on the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) proposed 2022 budget, Zarate, who cited the pending bill in both houses of Congress for the expanded social pension for senior citizens, said that the P500 pension given for elderly people, which is made up of over 10 million, isn't enough.
He added that increasing the pension from P500 to P1,000 would be a big help for the elderly especially those who are considered poor.
"We want to expand the coverage of the social pension. If we can push it then it could go a long way for our elderly people," said Zarate who also asked for the support and commitment of the NCSC for the pending bill.
Zarate added that financial support should not only be given to the sick, frail and disabled senior citizens.
The congressman also said that the current number of elderly people should be updated.
According to the NCSC, which has a proposed P51-M budget for 2022, there are about 3.7 to 3.8 million poor elderly people.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the commission, which was signed into law last July 2019, has been approved last week and already submitted to Malacanang for publication this week.
The NCSC, which is under the Office of the President, is mandated to ensure the full implementation of laws, policies, and programs of the government on senior citizens, review and conduct related studies, and recommend policy to Congress and the President.
It abolishes the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board created under RA 9994 and transfers related functions from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to the NCSC. (Melvin Sarangay)