P1.28-B in social pension disbursed for indigent seniors

By Connie Calipay

LEGAZPI CITY --- Over 221,000 indigent senior citizens in the Bicol Region have received their social pension for 2025, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Bicol (DSWD-5) said Friday.

Joseph Teston, chief of the Policy and Plans Division at DSWD-5, reported that a total of PHP1.2 billion has been disbursed by the agency.

“The goal of this program is to improve the living conditions of indigent senior citizens by providing a stipend for their daily subsistence and medical needs,” he said during a media forum.

Teston added that the remaining allocated funds for the rest of 2025 have been transferred to various local government units (LGUs), which will be responsible for releasing the stipend.

“The funds were transferred to our partner LGUs since they will release the stipend on a quarterly basis for the social pension beneficiaries,” Teston said.

He added that the legal basis for the stipend is from the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens, established under Republic Act No. 9994 (the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010) and amended by Republic Act No. 11916.

“Eligible senior citizens aged 60 years and above who are frail, sickly, or disabled, and who have no regular income or pension, qualify for this program. Not all senior citizens are eligible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Teston said for the Ayuda sa Kapos at Kita Program (AKAP), the agency provided PHP612.1 million in financial aid to 96,215 beneficiaries from six provinces severely affected by rising inflation.

In the Walang Gutom program, which aims to reduce food insecurity, 29,546 beneficiaries have redeemed food stamps totaling PHP284.55 million.

Through the Tara Basa! Tutoring Program, DSWD-5 assisted 2,005 learners across the region.

For disaster response, DSWD Bicol distributed 448,667 family food packs and 783,652 non-food items, amounting to PHP334 million, to 545,638 families affected by various weather disturbances. (PNA)