Las Piñas City mayoral candidate Carlo Aguilar

Las Piñas City mayoral candidate Carlo Aguilar is proposing the creation of a local pension fund that will provide monthly financial support to the city's senior citizens. 

Aguilar said the creation of a local pension fund will help ease the everyday burden being faced by thousands of elderly residents who rely on limited government assistance.

He said currently, only around 11,000 seniors in Las Piñas receive the ₱1,000 monthly social pension from the national government.

Aguilar said the proposed local pension fund seeks to expand the assistance coverage to the city’s estimated 60,000 senior residents. It will begin with the most vulnerable sectors or those without access to a pension from the SSS or GSIS.

“No lolo or lola should be left behind. Our elderly should not have to choose between buying medicine and buying food because a thousand pesos is simply not enough in today’s economy,” Aguilar said.

Aguilar said the monthly amount will be determined through reviews and consultations with senior groups and other stakeholders. He explained that the fund will be made possible through budget realignment, partnership with the private sector, and elimination of wasteful spending.

“There needs to be a full review of the city's existing expenditure program to identify non-essential items that can be redirected toward the pension fund. Tapping the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs of big companies is also part of the proposed financing strategy for the fund,” Aguilar said.

The proposal aligns with national efforts to enhance support for senior citizens. A pending measure in Congress, House Bill No. 10423, seeks to establish a universal social pension, providing a monthly stipend to all Filipino seniors, regardless of income status. 

While this bill is still under legislative consideration, Aguilar's initiative aims to address immediate needs of the elderly in Las Piñas.