2.8M poor senior citizens to get P500 a month

The number of indigent senior citizens who will receive a P500 monthly pension from the government will more than double this year to 2.8 million beneficiaries from 1.3 million beneficiaries last year.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it would expand the social pension program for indigent senior citizens this year to the higher budget allocation.

The program was given P17.9 billion this year, compared to P8.7 billion last year for a target of 1,375,970 beneficiaries.

About 98 percent of last year’s budget or P8.5 billion has been used as of Jan. 31, 2017 to provide pension for 1,331,747 indigent senior citizens.

The payout for the pension of the remaining 44,223 beneficiaries is still ongoing, the DSWD said.

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said the social pension program is a “great help to poor senior citizens who do not get support from their family.”