The Manila Times

Go hails pension increase for elderly

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go lauded the enactment of a measure increasing the social pension of indigent senior citizens.

“Our senior citizens were among the hardest hit by the pandemic. They are vulnerable to the many high risks of Covid-19 and other illnesses. Hence, this increase in their pension, in whatever amount, is a big help for them,” said Go, who was co-author of the bill that lapsed into law on July 30.

Republic Act (RA) 11916, which was principally authored and sponsored by Sen. Emmanuel “Joel” Villanueva, amends RA 7432, increasing the monthly pension allowance of senior citizens from P500 to P1,000. The increase aims to support their basic necessities and medical needs.

“It is in our [Filipino culture] to take care of the elderly. We are glad that the bill is now a law,” he added.

RA 11916 mandated that 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.

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 (DSWD) was tasked to assess, and when necessary, increase the amount of social pension every two years after its enactment into law.

The implementation, distribution and management of the social pension shall be transferred from the DSWD to the National Commission on Senior Citizens.

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2022-08-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://manilatimes.pressreader.com/article/281586654360321

The Manila Times