• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Some 11,840 indigent senior citizens from Negros Oriental and Siquijor received P3,000 each in social pension covering the first quarter of this year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region said.
The latest to receive the cash assistance of P1,000 each month were the 2,506 indigent elderly from Basay, Negros Oriental, under the Social Pension Program of the DSWD.
The payout amounted to P6,225,000, and aimed to support the basic needs, such as food and medicine, of the beneficiaries, the DSWD-NIR said March 22, adding the activity was conducted in coordination with the local government to ensure the orderly and efficient distribution of assistance.
In Dumaguete City, 2,831 qualified senior citizens received P8,493,000, and 2,506 in Tanjay City, for a total of P7,518,000 in social pension.
The local government of Mabinay, meanwhile, received a check for P9,631,000 to support the implementation of the Social Pension Program (SPP) for indigent senior citizens in the municipality. The amount will benefit 3,277.
In the town of Enrique Villanueva in Siquijor, 720 senior citizen beneficiaries received P2,160,000, representing their three-month social pension.
The SPP is a flagship social protection initiative of the DSWD, aimed at improving the living conditions of those elderly, who have no regular source of income, pension, or financial support from family members, the agency said. | CGC
