DSWD to offer pension for indigent senior citizens

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Monday said that they will be offering pension for indigent senior citizens.

Pacita Sarino, director of the Protective Services Bureau of the DSWD, told Radyo Inquirer 990AM that elderly who are 77 years of age or above, sickly, frail or disabled, and are not receiving any kind of pension or support from their families are eligible to receive the said pension.

She said that senior citizens have records with the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) which will be verified by social workers in evaluating which of the elderly may receive pension.

For cases wherein an elderly has been abandoned by relatives, Sarino said they will be taken in by nursing homes like the Golden Acres Home for the Aged or Luwalhati ng Maynila while social workers attempt to contact their family members. In case the elderly really has no relatives, then the government will look after them, she said.

Social workers will be deployed to verify information of senior citizens at municipal offices to ensure that the DSWD’s data is accurate, said Sarino.

For more of the interview, listen to Radyo Inquirer 990AM.