Additional modes of payment will be utilized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for a "more cost-effective and efficient distribution" of indigent senior citizens' social pension assistance.

In an advisory on Friday, Oct. 14, the agency said that its Field Offices (FOs) will assess the most feasible and effective subsidy delivery schemes that will suit their respective areas.

This is under the recently issued Memorandum Circular No. 17 series of 2022, DSWD noted.

Two of the possible modes of payment that the FOs may use are "cash payout facilitated by Designated Special Disbursing Officers through a plaza-type payout and cash cards through an authorized government depository bank."

The scheme that each FO will apply will depend on the responsiveness of the beneficiaries, DSWD added.

The safety of both DSWD personnel and indigent seniors will also be considered in the assessment.

DSWD added that the newly released memorandum has also amended the timeline of subsidy disbursement from a quarterly basis schedule to "various modalities every January-June and July-December."

"For the remaining months of 2022, beneficiaries of the program, whose Php500-monthly stipend for the third and fourth quarters are yet to be released, will receive their pension within the second semester amounting to P3,000.00," DSWD said.

The department noted that the change in the frequency of cash distribution was made to speed up the release of financial aid.

The "limitation of funds for administrative cost, workforce, and disbursing officers," was also considered in the revision.

DSWD reported that to date, over 3.4 million beneficiaries, or 86 percent of its overall target have already benefited from the social pension program.