DSWD to release social pension of seniors every quarter starting early 2022

DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The social pension of indigent senior citizens will be released on a quarterly basis starting the first month of 2022, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday.

Currently, the P500-monthly social pension of senior citizens is released every six months.

“We intend to implement the payout for every quarter starting this first quarter of 2022,” DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said during the House deliberations on the proposed 2022 budget of the agency.

House Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, who inquired about the release of the social pension, earlier urged the DSWD to release the monthly social pension of senior citizens every three months.

Under Rodriguez’s proposal, senior citizens should receive their P500 monthly pension every three months for a total of P1,500. Currently, indigent senior citizens receive P3,000 every six months.

In August, the House also approved a measure seeking to increase the social pension of indigent senior citizens to P1,000 per month.

JPV