BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) reported a total of 5,582 indigents senior citizens were granted the City Government’s Social Pension in the second quarter conducted from May 25 to 29, 2026.
The payout marked an important milestone as the program was directly implemented by the City Government through the Transfer of Funds Scheme, following a memorandum issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The scheme enables local government units to play a more active role in delivering social pension benefits to qualified senior citizens.
The distribution of benefits was carried out through the joint efforts of the CSWDO, City Accounting Office, City Treasury Office, community-based social workers, barangay officials, senior citizens’ associations, and other partner stakeholders. Their collaboration ensured a smooth, safe, and efficient payout process.
To further improve service delivery, community-based social workers conducted verification and assessment of beneficiaries who were unable to claim their benefits.
The activity aimed to identify the reasons for non-claiming and identify measures that would strengthen the implementation of the Social Pension Program and ensure that qualified beneficiaries receive assistance.
The payout activity also served as a platform to bring government services closer to senior citizens. Representatives from the DSWD, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Team assisted in validating beneficiary records, authenticating PhilSys IDs through the BBM Serbisyo platform, and facilitating PhilSys-related services.
CSWDO Department Head Liza Bulayungan thanked partner agencies, offices, organizations, and volunteers for their support in the successful implementation of the program. She also reaffirmed the City Government’s commitment to promoting the welfare and dignity of senior citizens through responsive and community-centered social protection programs.
The Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) is an additional assistance from the government amounting to One Thousand Pesos (P1,000.00) monthly stipend as stipulated in the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2020 or RA 9994 as amended by RA 11916.
The eligibility criteria based on RA 11916 are as follows:
- 60 years of age and above,
- frail, sick or disabled
- no pension, and
- no regular source of income, compensation or financial assistance from relatives to support his/her basic needs. (RAM)
