P500 hike in pension for seniors pushed

Senior citizens wait for their turn to get vaccinated in Valenzuela City. Image from the Valenzuela City government website

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III is pushing for an increase in the social pension of indigent senior citizens to help them better cope with the rising costs of basic commodities and the additional financial burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Bill No. 2243 seeks the grant of an additional P500 monthly stipend for senior citizens, on top of the present P500 social pension to “defray the cost of daily subsistence and other medical needs.”

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the country has around 3.8 million indigent senior citizens as of 2019.

—MELVIN GASCON