LEGAZPI: More than 440,000 indigent senior citizens in the six provinces of the Bicol Region received government assistance this year through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPIC) program.
In a report on Friday, Irah Jeanne Ego, Social Welfare Officer II and SPIC focal person, said DSWD-Bicol released a total fund of PHP1.32 billion for this year.
“In 2023, during the first semester, 283,101 beneficiaries were served with a total amount of PHP849,303,000. For the second semester, 158,852 social pensioners were able to receive their monthly stipends with PHP476,556,000 fund surpassing the total target of 288,155 all over the region,” she said.
Implemented under Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, the SPIC program provides a monthly stipend of PHP500 to qualified individuals.
In a statement, DSWD-Bicol Director Norman Laurio said the stipend supplements the beneficiaries’ daily expenses and medical needs.
‘Elderly cit
izens who are entitled to the social pension program of DSWD are those who are indigent, sick, disabled, frail, have no regular or permanent source of income, receive no financial assistance from family members or relatives, and do not receive any other pensions from the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System, or other institutions,’ he said.
Laurio said DSWD-Bicol field workers ensure prioritization of the qualified indigent senior citizens.
‘Ito po ang dapat maintindihan ng lahat that due to limited target, nakadepende talaga ang beneficiaries na nasiserve ng programa sa number of slots per munisipyo (Due to a limited target, the number of beneficiaries served by the program really depends on the slots per municipality),’ he added.
Source: Philippines News Agency