Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 28) — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III called for the immediate passage of his bill that seeks to raise the monthly pension of indigent senior citizens.
Senate Bill 2243, filed Thursday, will amend Republic Act 7342 that set a ₱500 monthly stipend for indigent senior citizens. It doubles the amount to “not less than” ₱1,000 for daily subsistence and medical needs.
Under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, an indigent senior citizen refers to an elderly aged 60 and above, “who is frail, sickly or with disability, and without pension or permanent source of income, compensation or financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/her basic needs, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in consultation with the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board.”
If enacted, Sotto’s bill directs the DSWD to review, and when necessary, adjust the amount after two years, subject to the approval of the Budget department.
The implementation, distribution, and management of the social pension, the bill further states, would be transferred to the National Commission of Senior Citizens, a body under the Office of the President, within three years after effectivity of the law.
In the explanatory note, Sotto said there are nearly 3.8 million indigent senior citizens in the country, citing 2019 data.
“These are 3,796,791 individuals who are struggling to meet with their needs for basic commodities and healthcare due to lack of permanent source of income since they can no longer work fully and seek gainful employment,” the 72-year-old lawmaker said. “[T]he immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.”
