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[av_heading heading=’FAKE PENSIONERS’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY GLENDA TAYONA
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Wednesday, March 21, 2018
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DSWD to demand refund from unqualified ‘seniors’
ILOILO City –A refund will be demanded from unqualified senior citizens receiving pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) social pension program solely intended for indigent elderly.
DSWD Region 6 is currently double-checking its list of beneficiaries and would be purging it.
“We know this might offend some people but we have to follow the guidelines,” said Regional Director Rebecca Geamala.
According to Judith Tanate-Barredo, DSWD-6’s focal person for social pension, some senior citizens ineligible for the social pension program were included in the list of beneficiaries that local government units submitted.
“They are not eligible in our social pension program because they are already receiving pension either from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or Social Security System or even from private insurance companies. Or they enjoy regular support from their families and relatives,” explained Tanate-Barredo.
A qualified senior citizen is entitled to receive P500 pension each month. The pension is, however, released quarterly thus each pensioner receives P1,500 every three months.
Geamala urged local government units to help the DSWD regional office purge its list of beneficiaries.
“We are also enjoining the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs and the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines to help us ensure that only those qualified would get the pension,” she said.
DSWD-6 is currently cross-matching its list of social pension beneficiaries with the list of pensioners of GSIS and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, according to Tanate-Barredo.
“Based on our guidelines, if you are not eligible (to receive the social pension), you have to return the fund released to you,” she stressed.
Only the following senior citizens (60 years old and above) are qualified to avail themselves of social pension from DSWD:
* frail, sickly or with disability
* with no regular income or support from family and relatives
* without pension from private or government institutions
“We have to purge our list so that the social pension program could truly serve its target beneficiaries – the poor senior citizens,” said Tanate-Barredo./PN
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