A total of 288,155 senior citizens in Bicol will start to receive this month the increased social pension from PHP500 to PHP1,000, a Department of Social Welfare and Development 5 (DSWD-Bicol) official said on Monday.

Marygizelle Mesa, DSWD-5 spokesperson, said the increase aims to provide augmentation for the medical needs of senior citizens.

“There is no definite date of payout yet since the processing of funds is still ongoing,” she said in an interview.

Mesa said Republic Act 11916 or the Social Pension for Indigent Seniors Act aims to provide further assistance to impoverished senior citizens in coping with the effects of inflation.

“Qualified social pensioners will receive a total of PHP6,000 per semestral payout or PHP12,000 annually,” she added.

The eligible beneficiaries are senior citizens who are indigent or have a disability, those who are frail, sickly, or without any regular income or support from their family or relatives, not receiving any pensions from the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI), or any private insurance company.

In a statement, DSWD-5 Regional Director Norman Laurio said to ensure that the allocated slots available for indigent senior citizens are properly appropriated, field staff continuously conduct home visits and validation to endorse potential beneficiaries.

The Social Pension Program implementers require beneficiaries to be available at home for proper identification during validation, the media release added. (PNA)