Bontoc – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-CAR) in partnership with the Provincial Local Government Unit of Mountain Province has started the first semester payout of the Social Pension (SocPen) program in barangay Alab Proper of the capital town on August 24, 2020.
About 31 indigent senior citizens received an amount of P3,000 at P500 per month from January to June this year. Some of the recipients who were not able to get their payout during the second semester last year received an additional amount of P3,000.
According to Mountain Province Social Pension Focal Person April D. Mata-ag, the SocPen program aims to augment the needs of the senior citizens especially during the community quarantine due to the current pandemic.
She said that based on the guidelines in the implementation of the program, recipients must be 60 years old and above; frail, sickly or with a disability; without a regular support from family or relatives for his/her basic needs; those who do not have a pension from GSIS, SSS, PVAO, AFPMBAI and other insurance company and those with no permanent source of income.
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Mataag further disclosed that Mountain Province has a total of 9,476 pensioners and according to her, the DSWD Field Office is now finalizing the schedule for the distribution of the pension to the other recipients province-wide.
The SocPen is distributed on a per semester basis as stipulated in Republic Act No. 9994 or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” which provides monthly stipend amount to augment the daily sustenance and medical needs of senior citizens.
Meanwhile, the payoff was led by Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr. and Annie B. Palasi of the DSWD and was witnessed by Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Miguela P. Angwani, Provincial Information Officer Novy R. Afidchao, Alab Proper barangay officials and members of the DSWD Mountain Province Field Office.
In his message, Governor Lacwasan acknowledged the DSWD’s role in developing and implementing poverty-reduction programs to help the vulnerable and the disadvantaged sector.
The governor also recognized the important contributions of the elderly to nation-building and assured that the Provincial Government thru its Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office will continue to work with its partner agencies to assure the welfare of the senior citizens.
Moreover, Lacwasan shared that the provincial government has a Senior Citizen Center that offers support and wellness programs to the elderly and on top of that, the province continues to recognize provincial centenarians or persons who reached the age of 100 years or more. According to the governor, the provincial government is giving an amount P30,000 cash incentive to qualified provincial centenarians.
Meanwhile, Ruby B. Mangagley, chairperson, Barangay Alab-Office of Senior Citizens Affairs said that given the benefits that Senior Citizens receive from the government, they, as senior citizens should actively participate in the activities of the elderly in their respective barangays and to proudly show that senior citizens can still do much in nation building.
By Erwin S. Batnag
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