A total of 300 persons with disability (PWDs) in Ilocos Norte received PHP6,000 each on Friday as part of the provincial government’s continuing rollout of social pension for the vulnerable sector.

“The amount covers the months of July up to December this year,” Carolyn Domingo, disability affairs officer of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, told the Philippine News Agency.

There are 13,000 registered PWDs in Ilocos Norte.

The province has been implementing the PWD social pension since 2023.

“Through the initiative of then-Ilocos Norte governor and now Vice Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc, we were able to secure and allocate funds to include Ilocano PWDs in the beneficiaries of the social pension program,” Domingo said.

Digna Amigo, 64, from Barangay Caaoacan in this city, thanked the provincial government for the grant of the PHP1,000 monthly social pension to her son, 31-year-old Edmund Amigo Jr., who was born with speech impairment.

“The amount is a big help for my son to sustain his basic needs specially now that we (parents) are senior citizens,” said Amigo, who accompanied her son in receiving the pension at the Provincial Capitol.

Wheelchair-bound Mario Antonio, from Barangay La Paz in this city, said the monthly pension he has been receiving from the provincial government for three years now has been helpful in easing his family’s daily living expenses.

Along with the social pension, the Ilocos Norte government is also implementing various skills and competencies training that enable PWDs to become productive and independent.

The latest was held in August this year, where 100 PWDs participated in theoretical driving course and road safety seminar to boost their accessibility and inclusion in nation building and community development. (PNA)