The social pension of indigent senior citizens will not be released every three months, instead of the current schedule of every six months starting in 2022, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced Tuesday, Nov. 9.
Pursuant to the DSWD Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 16 series of 2021, beneficiaries of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens will receive their P500-monthly stipend on a quarterly basis with a total amount of P1,500.
The Department issued MC No. 16 to amend the schedule of distribution and some of the provisions of the "Omnibus Guidelines in the implementation of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens."
DSWD said the social pension will be released through cash payout every January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December of each year.
The payout will be facilitated by the DSWD’s Special Disbursing Officers in coordination with the respective local government units.
Considering the current health crisis, social pensioners who will be affected by restrictions are advised to send their authorized representatives to claim their stipend, provided that the representative will present the necessary documents, including an original and photocopy of his/her valid ID; pensioner's valid ID, authorization letter, and certification from the barangay that they are in a lockdown during the quarterly payout.
The Department is currently coordinating with the Land Bank of the Philippines regarding the application, production, and actual implementation of cash cards to make the release of stipends more convenient and faster for senior citizens.
As of September 2021, DSWD released the pension to over 3.7 million beneficiaries, or 80.19 percent of its total target of social pension beneficiaries for the year 2021.