ILOILO City – Starting this second semester of 2024, four local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas will begin implementing monthly payments for the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizen (SPISC) under the Social Pension Program managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6.
DSWD-6 has allocated a total budget of P2,315,724,000 for the social pensions of senior citizens across these four LGUs.
Under Memorandum Circular No. 10, series of 2024, issued on July 8, the payments will now be disbursed monthly.
This policy, titled “Policy on Digital Payments Using Transaction Accounts for the Ease of Delivery of Social Pension Programs and Services in the DSWD”, aims to streamline and facilitate the payment process.
Atty. May Rago-Castillo, information officer of DSWD-6, said, “We are delighted to announce that four local government units will embrace the challenge of distributing the social pension monthly, in partnership with DSWD, amounting to P1,000 each.”
The LGUs participating in this initiative are Lezo in Aklan; Jordan in Guimaras; Bacolod City, and Manapla in Negros Occidental.
Rago-Castillo extended gratitude to these LGUs for taking on the responsibility, which will require additional manpower and logistics to ensure smooth monthly payouts. Payments in other localities within the region will continue on a quarterly basis.
The Social Pension Program aims to fulfill the government’s commitment to protect vulnerable seniors by providing a stipend of P1,000 per month to indigent citizens aged 60 and above who are frail, sick, disabled, without a pension, permanent income, or financial assistance from relatives.
As of June 2024, DSWD-6 reported that 385,954 eligible beneficiaries received their pensions for the second quarter, with a demographic breakdown of 154,164 males and 231,790 females.
The program’s implementation is overseen by Atty. Carmelo N. Nochete, the regional director, with assistance from Assistant Regional Directors Arwin Razon and Joselito Estember, Division Chief Katherine Joy Lamprea, and focal person Marien Grace Tamonan./PN
