Senator Christopher “Bong” Go lauded the recent enactment of a measure increasing the social pension of indigent senior citizens.
“Isa sa mga malubhang tinamaan ng pandemya ay ang ating mga senior citizens. Alam naman po natin na sila ay isa sa mga high risk sa COVID-19 at sa iba pa pong sakit. Kaya itong pagtaas ng kanilang pensyon ay, kahit na anumang halaga, sigurado akong malaking tulong na ito sa kanila,” underscored Go, who was made co-author of said measure that lapsed into law on July 30.
“Nasa kultura na rin po ng Pilipino na alagaan natin ang mga nakakatanda, kaya naman nakakatuwa po na naisabatas na po ang pagbibigay ng dagdag na pensyon sa ating mga senior citizens,” he added.
Republic Act No. 11916, which was principally authored and sponsored by Senator Joel Villanueva, amends RA 7432 to increase the monthly pension allowance of senior citizens from PhP500 to PhP1,000. The said increase aims to support their basic necessities and medical needs.
Under the law, the monthly stipend shall be released to qualified beneficiaries in the form of cash, direct remittance, electronic transfer, or other modes of delivery, whichever is more convenient to the beneficiary.
Furthermore, transaction or service fees upon release of the allowances to target beneficiaries shall be waived.
Subject to the approval of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will likewise be tasked to assess, and when necessary, increase the amount of social pension every two years after its enactment into law.
Meanwhile, the implementation, distribution, and management of the social pension shall be transferred from the DSWD to the National Commission on Senior Citizens.