13.4K ‘unqualified’ elderly booted out of social pension program

ILOILO CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Thursday that 13,468 elderly from Western Visayas have been delisted from the Social Pension Program, effective immediately.

DSWD 6 (Western Visayas) Director Carmelo N. Nochete said the revalidation of beneficiaries ensures that only those qualified are receiving the government stipend.

Nochete said those removed were senior citizens erroneously included in the program.

"The purpose of the program is to augment the daily subsistence and medical requirements of the beneficiaries, reduce the incidence of hunger, and mitigate the cause of neglect, abuse, or deprivation among the indigent senior citizens,” he said in a statement.

Of the delisted, 1,327 were pensioners of the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), 830 had honorarium or salary, 331 received regular support from their family, and the rest died or transferred residence and could not be located.

Iloilo has the highest number of delisted elderly, with 5,324, followed by Negros Occidental with 3,282. Aklan has 1,494, Antique has 1,308, Capiz has 1,594, and Guimaras, with 466.

Nochete added that "there are more elderly who need the pension" because their families cannot support them and have no funding sources.

“They should be the ones to be prioritized under the Social Pension Program,” he said.

While the department intensifies its revalidation efforts, Nochete called on family members to support their elderly.

He said while most parents and grandparents would say that their children and even grandchildren have no obligation to support them, entrusting them to the government is the last resort.

"It is still the family that should be first responsible," he said. (PNA)