The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated on Monday the criteria to qualify for the agency’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Program (SocPen).

The DSWD advised the public to disregard social media contents that announce all Filipino elderly, rich or poor, are entitled to receive social pension as provided under the Universal Social Pension bill, which is pending in Congress.

“Ulitin po natin na tanging mga senior citizen na mahihirap, may sakit, mahina o may kapansanan at walang tinatanggap na pension, tulong mula sa kapamilya o permanenteng pinagkakakitaan para masuportahan ang kanyang pang-araw araw na pangangailangan ang maaaring tumanggap ng buwanang pension sa ilalim ng Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens mula sa DSWD (Only senior citizens who are poor, sick, feeble or with disability and who do not receive any pension, assistance from family members or do not have a permanent source of income to support their daily needs can receive a monthly pension under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens of the DSWD), ” Assistant Secretary Ada Colico of the DSWD’s Protective Programs said in a statement.

The SocPen is a program under Republic Act (RA) No. 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010) which provides a monthly stipend of PHP500 to augment the daily subsistence and medical needs of indigent senior citizens.

With the enactment of RA 11916 (An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens), indigent senior citizens have been receiving a monthly stipend of PHP1,000 since January 2024. The amount is distributed to the beneficiaries on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis.

The law being implemented by the DSWD covers a total of 4,085,066 indigent senior citizens.

“Some posts contain information that may mislead the public, especially the vulnerable. Again, the DSWD would like to reiterate to only refer to our official social media accounts and website,” Colico said. (PNA)