Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan announced that the monthly allowance for senior citizens will be doubled from P500 to P1,000 starting January 2025.
Over 200,000 senior beneficiaries are set to receive a total of P3,000 each during the quarterly payout in March 2025.
"Tayo po ay gawa at aksyon. Yung iba, pangako at laway lang. Iniisip pa lang nila, tayo po heto na ang resulta kasi tinaasan na natin ang senior citizen's allowance," she said right after the fellowship night with all 896 Manila Barangay Senior Presidents in celebration of the international elderly week.
"Ginawa rin po nating sistematiko at mas maayos ang proseso sa distribution ng senior's allowance. Malaki na ang improvement mula noong tayo ay naging Punong Lungsod. Ngayon, madalas na po ang updating at masinop ang requirements para masigurong totoong beneficiary ang makakatanggap ng allowance," she added.
“Upang matiyak na hindi nasasayang ang pondo ng bayan, regular naming nililinis ang listahan upang alisin ang mga pumanaw na, lumipat na sa probinsya o ibang bansa, o may pekeng dokumento,” the mayor assured Manileños.
The mayor said her administration improved and strengthened its social amelioration programs to make sure all public funds are spent properly and wisely, and loopholes are plugged to prevent graft and fraud.
The increase in senior citizen allowance is funded through City Ordinance 9075, which covers Manila's budget for fiscal year 2025.
Meanwhile, the Senior Citizen Party List commended the mayor and her administration, especially the capital city's OSCA, for increasing their senior citizens' monthly allowance to P1,000 starting January next year.
Manila matched the P1,000 indigent seniors’ pension in the national budget through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The party list leaders said Lacuna-Pangan set the example for other mayors to emulate if they have the LGU revenues to make it happen for their seniors.
"Manila and Mayor Lacuna have just proved they are truly deserving of the DSWD recognition for high rate of over 98 percent and level of implementation of the national indigent seniors’ social pension," it added.