Lawmaker pushes seniors' universal social pension

A LAWMAKER from Bicol appealed to senators to approve before the end of the 19th Congress the measure that aims to grant social pensions to all senior citizens. "I am appealing to our senators to pass this proposed universal monthly pension, equivalent to an initial P500 and then bumped up to at least P1,000 per beneficiary within five years after this program's full implementation, as such financial aid will help all elderly Filipinos, and not just our indigent senior citizens, cope with the ever-rising cost of essential food items, utilities and medicines," Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. said Sunday. Villafuerte is a co-author of House Bill (HB) 10423. The House approved its version of the bill last May 21. HB 10423 will further amend Republic Act 7432, or An Act to Maximize the Contribution of Senior Citizens to Nation Building, Grant Benefits and Special Privileged and for Other Purposes, which entitled indigent senior citizens to a monthly stipend. Under the House bill, senior citizens "who are previously not considered as indigents shall be entitled to a monthly stipend of P500." Villafuerte made the appeal while the country was set to celebrate the yearly Elderly Filipino Week in the first week of October. The bill transfers the management of the social pension to the National Commission of Senior Citizens from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) within three years from the time the measure takes effect. The DSWD will review and, if necessary, adjust the amount of universal social pensions every two years, taking into account the various needs of senior citizens and relevant economic indicators, as reported and published by pertinent government agencies and authorities. Republic Act 11916, whose authors included Villafuerte, raised the monthly allowance of indigent senior citizens to P1,000 from P500.