The Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) recently conducted meeting with stakeholders on older persons sector and discussed the social pension for indigent senior citizens.

During the meeting, the participants were informed about the result of special payout for the unclaimed social pension stipend in 2013. Further, the 2014 General Appropriation Act was also discussed which states that beneficiaries of the social pension program shall be selected through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) or Listahanan.

Each pensioner receives 500 pesos per month or P1,500 quarterly as financial assistance for food expenses and medical needs in compliance to Republic Act No. 9994 or the expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

The criteria to be a social pension beneficiary are: should be indigent, 77 years old and above, Filipino citizen, sickly, disabled, no income or any other means of livelihood, no pension from private and government pension bodies, and no regular support from relatives.