Davao City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office XI has already started the payout of the first semester Social Pension cash stipend for the 60,370 indigent senior citizens in Davao City.
The stipend of ₱ 3,000, covering the months of January to June 2021, is intended for the purchase of food, medicine, and other basic needs of 264,792 listed indigent senior citizens in the region.
The DSWD has coordinated with the different local government units (LGUs) and the assigned field office staff per municipality/city to facilitate the systematic and orderly distribution of the cash stipends, while observing the minimum health protocols and without causing inconvenience to the beneficiaries.
Senior citizens who are immunocompromised and those with co-morbidities are encouraged to send their nearest relative to claim the stipend on their behalf. The relative must present an authorization letter from the beneficiary, as well as the identification cards of both the beneficiary and the representative during the scheduled payout.
The DSWD targets to finish the payouts in Davao Region for the first semester by end of June.
The social pension cash grant is mandated under Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which provides for a ₱ 500 a month stipend for indigent senior citizens.
Seniors qualified to receive the monthly stipend are those who do not have a permanent source of income or financial assistance, no regular support from family or relatives for his/her basic needs, frail, sickly or with disability, and without any pension from Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc. or any other insurance company. (DSWD Public Relation | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)
