Go presses for social pension funding

SEN. Bong Go has called for immediate action on the high number of senior citizens on the waitlist for the social pension program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Go made the call during the Senate Finance Committee's deliberations on September 16 on DSWD's budget. He emphasized the need to increase the budget for the social pension program for the elderly. "For next year, the budget for the social pension for indigent senior citizens is P49.8 billion," the senator said. "This reflects the increase in monthly pension from P500 to P1,000. Under Republic Act (RA) 11916, which I also co-authored and co-sponsored here in the Senate." Go, speaking to DSWD Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian and other officials present, underscored the importance of such pension, especially to overseas Filipino workers who often inquire about their entitlements upon returning to the Philippines. The senator said there are 466,000 indigent senior citizens on the waitlist, which is expected to rise to 600,000. Go also mentioned the P5.8 billion allotted in unprogrammed appropriations, specifically intended to address the backlog of senior citizens waiting for their pensions. In addition, he said that there are excess funds in PhilHealth worth P89.9 billion that the executive plans to transfer to the National Treasury. Go asked if these funds would help cover the unprogrammed budget for senior citizens' pensions. This suggestion was met with affirmation from Director Sofia Abad of the Department of Budget and Management. Gatchalian confirmed that the department had already formally requested the DBM to fund the additional senior citizens on the waitlist. "I'm sure we agree with the senator, and we've already requested the DBM. So, we will keep on making follow-ups to prioritize them. We've already made the request," Gatchalian said. He acknowledged that the remaining 600,000 seniors still need additional funding.