• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Around P348.6 million in social pensions had been received by 58,101 beneficiaries in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental in the first semester of this year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Western Visayas said July 8.
Of the social pensions, 52,131 beneficiaries from Negros Occidental received P312,789,000, while 5,970 Bacolod senior citizens got P35,820,000.
The DSWD6 said that a total of P2.26 billion in social pensions had been paid to 377,612 senior citizens in the region in the first semester of 2025.
Aside from Bacolod and Negros Occidental, 152,729 beneficiaries from the province of Iloilo received P916 million in social pensions; 56,265 elderly in Capiz, P337 million; 46,137 beneficiaries in Aklan, P276.8 million; 35,947 beneficiaries in Antique, P215 million; 14,767 in Guimaras, P88 million; and 13,666 senior citizens in Iloilo City received P81.9 million, the agency said in a report.
The Social Pension or SocPen program of the DSWD provides crucial financial support to indigent senior citizens aged 60 years old and above. It prioritizes frail, sickly, or disabled individuals without pensions or permanent sources of income, and who do not receive financial assistance from relatives to meet their basic needs.
Established under Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, each beneficiary initially received a monthly stipend of P500. However, in July 2022, RA 11916, or An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens, increased the monthly stipend to P1,000, effective January 2024.
“This significant increase provides each social pensioner with P3,000 for the quarter, aiding them in meeting their basic needs and improving the wellbeing of their families,” the DSWD6 said in a statement.
Meanwhile, P49,920,000 was also distributed to 5,200 partner-beneficiaries across several cities and municipalities in Western Visayas, as part of the ongoing implementation of Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished), the agency said.
In Negros Occidental, the program covers Toboso, Hinoba-an, Sipalay, Candoni, San Carlos, Calatrava, and Escalante. Each beneficiary received P9,600 after completing a 20-day Cash-for-Work and Training (CFWT) initiative.
The project aims to promote food and water security in communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It integrates the construction of water reservoirs for irrigation and the development of communal gardens to enhance food security and support sustainable livelihoods, the DSWD said.
CFWT activities under the project included capacity-building sessions and hands-on work focused on disaster preparedness, environmental conservation, and the sustainable management of small farm reservoirs and community vegetable gardens.
DSWD6 director Arwin Razo also thanked local government units and partner-beneficiaries for their collaboration and commitment to the program’s goals. | CGC
