Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo ‘Ompong” Ordanes trumpeted on Monday, April 3 the incoming benefit to some four million indigent elderly Filipinos in the form of the P1,000 monthly social pension.

“I proudly report to the over four million indigent seniors nationwide that our efforts to lobby for full funding of the P1,000 social pension have succeeded,” said Ordanes, chairman of the House Committee on Senior Citizens.

The national government had earlier agreed to allocate an additional P25.6 billion for the monthly pension, which for indigent seniors will be doubled from P500 to P1,000.

“As we had hoped a few months ago, the additional funding of P25.6 billion for the P500 increase in the social pension is being sourced from the 2023 unprogrammed funds,” Ordanes added.

He said no less than Depqrtment of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian vowed that he would find ways to augment the funds for the pension in the agency's budget.

Ordanes had aggressively lobbied for the increase amid the rising inflation rate that led to the surge in the prices of basic commodities.

What's left is for the National Commission on Senior Citizens to release the implementing rules and regulations for the pension hike.

He said the increase, once implemented, will be of big help to senior citizens, especially those who could no longer work and are dependent on the assistance of the national government.

Senior Citizen Party-list made it among the Top 10 party-lists in the latest RP-Mission and Development (RPMD) survey.

“We repay the trust of our constituents with results and service,” said Ordanes.