Cordillera Administrative Region- The Department of Social Welfare and Development – Field Office Cordillera Administrative Region (DSWD FO CAR) has conducted actions based on the validation process to ensure that the Social Pension Program is received by its rightful beneficiary. Anchored on the current national guidelines and other legal mandates by the institution, the Social Pension Program regional office is in close coordination with its partners specifically the LGUs. This was following the validation being conducted in coordination with the Local Government Units (LGUs). 

“There were expressed concerns over being delisted from the Program and not able to added on the waiting list misunderstood the reason behind. However, only those who no longer meet the eligibility criteria can be excluded” DSWD FO CAR RD Maria A. Catbagan-Aplaten said. 

As to validation and eligibility processing of the potential beneficiaries, the DSWD FOs technical staff together with the OSCA and LSWDO has validated the potential beneficiaries including the address indicated on the OSCA ID to confirm their current residency before they will be encoded to the offline Social Pension Information System (SPIS) which will be submitted to the DSWD-Central Office – Program Management Bureau for data cleansing and eligibility processing. The encoded names will be cross matched with the existing data from GSIS, SSS, PVAO and other method of pensions. The data generated will be cascaded to the DSWD FOs as clean and no error.

As clarified in DSWD Memondum Circular No. 06, s. 2024 and Republic Act 9994, eligibility requirements include:

• 60 years old and above Indigent Senior Citizen;

• Frail, sickly or with disability;

• Without pension, and;

• Without a regular source of income, compensation, or financial assistance from their relatives to support his/her basic needs.

Indigent Senior Citizen refers to any elderly who is frail, sickly or with disability and without pension ad permanent source of income, compensation or financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/her basic needs stipulated under the Republic Act 9994.

Meanwhile, beneficiaries may be delisted due to the following reasons:

• Death of beneficiary;
• With SSS, GSIS, PVAO and any other insurance company. The pension may include retirement, survivorship and disability pension;
• With regular income and or financial support from family and relatives. This includes here the honorarium received from any agencies and institutions such as barangay officials and the financial support provided by the family members or relatives to the senior citizens including family members working abroad, by blood or affinity;
• Transfer of residence by the beneficiary;
• A beneficiary that cannot be located in the last known address within two (2) consecutive semester and;
• Absence for a pay-out shall cause suspension of the right of the beneficiary to receive the Social Pension Stipend, if the same remains unclaimed within two (2) consecutive pay out. 

With the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11916 which stipulates that the stipend provided to indigent senior citizens should not be less than one thousand pesos (PhP 1,000.00) to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs, each beneficiary receives a PhP 1,000.00 monthly which total to twelve thousand pesos (PhP 12,000.00) in a year. This was in accordance with the Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.” This legislation mandates additional government assistance to empower indigent senior citizens with essential financial aid. 

DSWD FO CAR guarantees the public that there has no arbitrary removal and all actions aim to ensure that the pension reaches those who most in need. As per MC No. 06, s. 2024, the DSWD Central Office through its Program Management Bureau is the sole entity that provide guidelines to be implemented on the delisting of Social Pension Beneficiaries. For further clarifications and inquiries, you may contact Elleonore Elmo, Social Pension grievance officer at enelmo@dswd.gov.ph.#DSWD FIELD OFFICE CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, HAZEL ANN BUY-O.