The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterates that only indigent senior citizens are qualified to receive the social pension provided for by Republic Act (RA) 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Social Pension refers to the monthly stipend amounting to P500 to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens. It is being implemented by DSWD under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) Program.

RA 9994 specifies that seniors qualified to receive social pension are those who are frail, sickly or with disability; without any pension from other government agencies; and without a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs.

Inasmuch as DSWD would want to include all senior citizens, the budget for the SPISC is limited.

SPISC is being implemented by DSWD in coordination with City or Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/MSWDO) as well as with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).

Under the guidelines of the program, the Barangay Senior Citizens Association may recommend or submit a list of potential beneficiaries to the OSCA Head or to the C/MSWDO. The OSCA Head shall consolidate the list of all potential beneficiaries certified by the C/MSWDO for submission to the concerned DSWD Field Office (FO). The DSWD FO shall then cross-match the consolidated list submitted with the available data from Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), and private insurance companies. The FO’s social worker or focal person shall take the lead in the conduct of assessment of the list of potential beneficiaries.

DSWD assures the public that it is doing its best to ensure that only the rightful beneficiaries are provided with government assistance such as social pension. -30-