ILOILO City – A bill that seeks to increase the monthly social pension of senior citizens from P500 to P1, 000 was filed in the 18th Congress.
Cong. Raul Tupas of Iloilo’s 5th District said on Monday he saw the need to increase the social pension as maintenance medicines are now costly.
“Now they are receiving P500 monthly pension per month or P1, 500 per quarter, but I saw the situation that the price of medicine and commodities has increased,” Tupas said as he recalled the situation of senior citizens in his district in Iloilo.
“They have reached the age that they had helped our county. Though the national government, we can recognize and help our senior citizens,” he added.
Section 1 of the House Bill No. 2868 (HB 2868) or an “Act Increasing the Monthly Social Pension of senior Citizens and Expanding the Coverage Thereof” amends Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7432.
HB 2868 states that “social pension refers to the monthly stipend or monetary grant from the government to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of senior citizens which shall not be less than one thousand pesos per month.”
The bill also amends section 5 of the RA 7432 and states that “all senior citizens without pension shall be entitled to a monthly social pension of at least one thousand pesos to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of senior citizens.
Tupas said the amount of the social pension should be reviewed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development every two years after the effectivity of the said act.
“If the bill is approved and the pension will be increased, it will be of great help to them,” he said. (With a report from PNA/PN)
