SOME 575 poor senior citizens in Mabalacat City have received their P1,500 social pension recently from the national government.
City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Officer IV Charlo Costales explained that recipients are identified through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR). The NHTS-PR is a database of poor households who are potential beneficiaries of social protection programs of the government.
Based on the Republic Act. No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003, underprivileged elders are entitled to receive P500 monthly pension which is being given every quarter of the year.
“Ang national government pa rin ang nag-iidentify ng mga mabibigyan ng social pension dito sa Mabalacat City. Ang CSWD naman ag nagva-validate kung buhay pa ang mga identified seniors na ito,” Costales added.
Currently, 14,000 of the total population of Mabalacat City are senior citizens.
Meanwhile, Office of the Senior Citizen’s Affairs (OSCA) Head Rizalino Tuazon appealed to the city government for additional funding that will be used for social concerns of some elderly in the city.
“Dahil maraming lumalapit at nanghihingi ng tulong sa OSCA, nag-request ako ng budget para sa Gender and Development(GAD) to grant P600,000 for 200 selected seniors who shall receive P500 for six months, and if approved will take effect this month,” he said.
Mayor Marino Morales vowed to allocate P 5 million for the construction of a 500-square meter senior citizens’ center which will be located at Barangay Mabiga.
“Ang ginagawa natin sa OSCA, dine-delist natin ang individuals na nakakakuha ng sustento fom SSS/GSIS or kung may wrong spelling sa pangalan nila, ginagawa namin ng certificate of correction. The problem with the master list is hindi na-uupdate kaya lately mahigit 90 ang hindi nabibigyan, although kasama sila sa listahan,” he added.
“Disabled, sickly, frail, no permanent source of income and no regular support from anyone in the family ang priority natin para maging beneficiary ng social pension,” Tuazon said.