Eighty-one years old Teodosia Domingo, from Brgy. Poblacion beams with pride and happiness after receiving her social pension for the first time.
“Masaya ako na makatanggap ng tulong na ito (I am happy for this assistance)”, Aling Teody expressed.
She has heart ailment and arthritis but because of financial difficulty, she is unable to sustain her medication. She buys medicines only when she has extra money.
She earns a living from invitations of her neighbors to lead prayer offerings for their family and being paid P500 for her service.
“Mag-isa lang ako sa bahay kasi may mga pamilya na rin ang dalawa kong anak, (I live alone because my two children have their own families),” Aling Teody added.
Thankful for the pension
“Ang natatanggap kong pensyon ay ibinibili ko ng bigas at ulam at pambayad sa tubig at kuryente, pero unti-unti lang ang pag gastos ko para hindi agad maubos (The pension I am receiving is being spent on food and utility bills, and I am cautious in spending it),” said German Barsolaso, 80 years old from Addition Hills, Brgy. Welfareville, Compound, Mandaluyong City.
German or Mang Boy as he is fondly called also lives alone in a rented room in Welfareville Compound. He has two children who have their respective familes in Malolos, Bulacan. He sells candies in the neighbourhood for a living.
“Nagtitinda ako ng mga kendi kung may kapital para mabuhay pero nauubos din kaya walang natitira sa akin (I sell candies when I have capital but the proceeds are also exhausted),” Mang Boy narrated.
While waiting for his turn to get his pension during the pay-out in Mandaluyong City last January 16, he keeps on telling that he is thankful for the pension he receives regularly as it is wholeheartedly given to indigent seniors like him.
Despite his old age, he patiently waited for his turn to claim his fourth quarter pension of P1,500.
When it was his turn to claim his pension, he happily shook hands with all the DSWD and LGU staff who were managing the pay-out. On his exit from the line, he smiled, tapped the shoulders and shook hands with his fellow pensioners, to show that he successfully hurdled the long queue.
First time recipient
Aling Teody and Mang Boy are two of the 5,419 beneficiaries of Social Pension Program in the National Capital Region (NCR) who are receiving monthly pension on quarterly basis. Of these, 228 are from Mandaluyong City.
The payment of social pension for indigent senior citizens is provided for under Republic Act No. 9994, also known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act (ESCA) of 2010. It provides a monthly assistance or subsidy of P500, given on a quarterly basis, to the pre-identified indigent senior citizens who are frail, sickly and disabled, without any regular source of income and/or support from any member of the family, and not receiving other pension benefits from government and private agencies.