The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has clarified that indigent senior citizens may still use other government-issued identification cards (IDs) when claiming their social pension, even as the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys)-issued National ID remains the primary requirement.
In a statement, DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao assured the public that the Department remains flexible in its implementation to ensure that no eligible senior citizen will encounter difficulty in accessing their social pension.
“Bagama’t National ID po talaga ang pangunahing requirement, maaari pa rin pong gumamit ang ating mga seniors ng iba pang valid government-issued IDs. Ang mahalaga po ay ma-verify ang kanilang pagkakakilanlan upang tuloy-tuloy nilang matanggap ang kanilang social pension. Alam po namin kung gaano kahalaga ang social pension para sa pagbili ng medisina, pagkain ng ating mga senior citizens (While the National ID is the primary requirement, our seniors can still use other valid government-issued IDs. What is important is that their identities can be verified for them to continuously receive their social pension. We know how important the social pension is in buying medicines or food for our senior citizens),” Dumlao said.
“Ang utos po ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ay mabigyan ng agarang tulong ang mga bulnerableng sektor natin tulad ng ating mga nakatatanda at gawing madali ang pag-access ng programa at serbisyo ng gobyerno. Makakaasa po ang ating mga lolo at lola na hindi po sila mahihirapan sa pagkuha ng kanilang benepisyo. Nariyan po ang DSWD para tiyakin na maipapaabot sa kanila ang nararapat na tulong mula po sa ating pamahalaan (President Marcos has ordered the immediate provision of support to the vulnerable sectors like our seniors, and to make the distribution of benefits more accessible. We assure them that they can get their benefits easily. The DSWD is there to ensure that needed assistance from the government will reach them),” she added.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the DSWD said indigent senior citizens who have yet to secure their National ID will not be denied access to their benefits, as long as they, or their representative, can present any valid government-issued ID.
The DSWD-accepted secondary IDs include those issued by the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The other IDs accepted are Voter’s ID, Driver’s License, Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) ID, Postal ID, Tax Identification Number (TIN) ID, Persons with Disabilities (PWD) ID, Social Security System Unified Multi-Purpose ID (SSS-UMID), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) e-card, solo parent ID, seaman’s book, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) ID, and other government-issued IDs bearing the holder’s complete name, photo, and address.
Dumlao said the DSWD continues to work closely with the Philippine Statistics Authority to assist social pension beneficiaries in registering for the National ID system.
The Social Pension program for indigent senior citizens is one of DSWD’s key social protection initiatives, providing financial assistance to elderly individuals who are frail, sickly, or without a regular source of income or family support.
Through this initiative, the DSWD helps ensure that vulnerable senior citizens are able to meet their daily subsistence and medical needs, contributing to a more dignified and secure quality of life in their later years. (PNA)
