DSWD offers cash aid delivery to elders

UNDER a DSWD program, elderly beneficiaries of the government’s cash aid program, like this woman in Cebu City, will no longer have to travel far to get their aid. The cash would be delivered to their doorsteps. JUNJIE MENDOZA/CEBU DAILY NEWS

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—Nursing a chronic back pain while absorbing the high cost of maintenance drugs, a monthly stipend of P500 is certainly good news for 75-year-old Jovita Bariring.

But having to claim the amount at the municipal hall here gives the widow second thoughts, as traveling has become a difficult task for her these days.

Situations like hers drove the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to design a “door-to-door” system of paying out cash aid for the poor, old and sickly people.

Under the agency’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program that started in 2011, people 60 years old and above who are not getting any government pension or regular income and support from relatives, are entitled to a P500 monthly cash aid. The pension is paid out quarterly through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.

But starting in September, the cash stipend will be brought right at the doorsteps of beneficiaries, said Noemee Jane Mayor, information officer of the DSWD in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.

“They would not have to leave their homes anymore or spend for fare,” she said.

In Calabarzon, the DSWD partnered with the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) to provide door-to-door services to deliver the cash aid to beneficiaries. So far, this is being done only in two regions—Calabarzon and Central Luzon.

“Isn’t there a danger there? The money could get lost along the way?” Bariring said.

But Mayor said PVB, in an agreement signed with the DWSD on Aug. 15, ensures a safe and timely delivery of the payouts.

In a statement, Vilma Noche, PVB senior vice president, said the bank would submit reports to the DSWD to help monitor the conditions of the beneficiaries.

To date, there are 85,639 pensioners in Calabarzon, but the DSWD said enlistment continues.

Leticia Diokno, DSWD regional director, said the initiative will ensure that the pension is delivered “timely and for the convenience of the beneficiaries.”  Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon