ILOILO City – If he were to have his way, Mayor Jose Espinosa III won’t seek a refund from 420 ineligible city senior citizens who were erroneously included in the national government’s Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC). These senior citizens received P1,500 to P4,500 in 2018, for a total of P1.830 million.
The Commission on Audit (COA) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were asking for a refund.
According to Espinosa, while there is legal basis to seek a refund, such would be too much for the concerned senior citizens.
“They are also hard-up, especially those receiving pension from the Social Security System (SSS). Pila man lang ang ginabaton nila? Ang pila ka libo nga ipabalik mo daku na ina sa ila,” said Espinosa.
Under the SPISC, those with pension from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), SSS, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association, Inc. or any other insurance company are not qualified for inclusion in the program.
Also not qualified are those receiving regular support from family or relatives.
“Kon mapasensya man lang kon tani sang DSWD and sang aton national government,” said Espinosa.
He insisted that the City Social Welfare and Development Office was thorough in screening city SPISC beneficiaries.
SPISC is being implemented by DSWD in coordination with municipal or city social welfare and development offices — which are under local government units — 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 city or municipal social welfare development office.
The DSWD field office shall then cross-match the consolidated list submitted with the available data from SSS, GSIS, PVAO, and other insurance companies.
The field office’s social worker or focal person shall take the lead in the conduct of assessment to the list of potential beneficiaries.
There were 13,190 social pensioners in the city; the 420 beneficiaries found ineligible were 3.1 percent of the total number of beneficiaries of the program.
Under SPISC, a monthly stipend of P500 is given to indigent senior citizens to augment their daily subsistence and medical needs.
These senior citizens must have no permanent source of income and/or frail, sickly or with disability./PN
