SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) started validating social pensioners in the province yesterday.
“The validation aims to find out how many beneficiaries are still eligible to receive the pension,” said DSWD Program Development Officer I Ritchie Zaragoza.
The DSWD tapped six validators for the next 20 days in the 18 towns of the province, Zaragoza said.
“There are validators who have been hired by the DSWD who will conduct the community assemblies where the validation of beneficiaries will be held,” she added.
The validators started their work in the municipalities of Laua-an, Bugasong, Belison, San Jose de Buenavista, and Tobias Fornier after making a courtesy call on local chief executives.
Zaragoza said the social pension is intended for indigent elderlies.
She added the DSWD wants to find out if these beneficiaries are being supported by their economically stable children.
Antique has a total of 40,440 beneficiaries who are 60 years old and above. They will receive P500 per month from the national government through the DSWD.
Zaragoza explained the cash grant is intended to help the elders purchase their basic needs such as food, milk and medicines.
The program started in 2011 under the Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. (With a report from PNA/PN)
