Starting this year, indigent senior citizens ages 77 years old and above will receive Php 500 monthly stipend to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs said Regional Dir. Leonardo C. Reynoso.

In Region 1, there are 11,204 potential beneficiaries of which 5,619 are in Pangasinan; 2,009 in La Union; 2,116 in Ilocos Sur; and, 1,460 in Ilocos Norte.

As a preparation, DSWD conducted orientation on the guidelines and procedures of the Social Pension Program to 192 LGU-Social Workers and Heads of Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan.

Operations Division Chief Nora D. de la Paz said, this is the realization of the Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 which institutionalizes social protection to elderly by providing monthly stipend to the indigent senior citizens and support families to provide care to sick and disabled senior citizens.

However, only those Senior citizens who are poor (with no pension, no family support and living below poverty), frail, sickly, disabled who are in the masterlist of the DSWD National Household Targeting System (NHTS) for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) shall be covered by this Program.

The City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers and Heads of the Office of Senior Citizens Affair (OSCAs ) will validate and confirm the potential social pensioners in the NHTS masterlist. Afterwhich, the verified list will be posted in conspicuous places for a week.

A written notification will be sent upon approval of each pensioner preceding their scheduled enrolment. During enrollment, the social pensioners must present their notification and will fill out Landbank enrolment forms and attend photo sessions for their identification card. The OSCA and the Landbank personnel will facilitate enrolment of bedridden social pensioners. (by: Iryn Q. de los Reyes, Information Officer II)