Senior citizens in San Marcelino town wait for the distribution of their P3,000 social pension from the government on Thursday, Nov. 18. (Photo courtesy of San Marcelino Public Information Office)
SAN MARCELINO, Zambales — At least 613 senior citizens in this town received their P3,000 social pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Thursday (Nov. 18), authorities said.
The amount covered the social pension from July until December, the San Marcelino Public Information Office said.
Under Section 5 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, indigent senior citizens are entitled to get a monthly stipend worth P500 from the government.
RA 9994 defines indigent senior citizens as “any elderly 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 DSWD in consultation with the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board.”
The regional office of the DSWD facilitated the distribution of the pension to the recipients at the municipal covered court in coordination with the local government, the municipal social welfare and development office (MSWDO) and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.
According to the MSWDO, it is exerting efforts to include more qualified social pension beneficiaries in the town.