DILG warns vs fake info on seniors' pension hike

By Dexter A. See

May 8, 2023 

BAGUIO CITY: The Department of the Interior and Local Government in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DILG CAR) has urged the public to stop spreading unverified and inaccurate information regarding the status of a bill amending social pension for indigent senior citizens.

"We would like to call on [the public] to refrain from disseminating false and misleading information, particularly on social media platforms, because it might cause confusion and panic [among our senior citizens]," DILG CAR Regional Director Araceli San Jose said over the weekend.

San Jose also advised the public to be more vigilant and discerning in their consumption of information, as one of the schemes involves copying the icon and logo or even the actual website of the National Commission for Senior Citizens (NCSC) to make it appear official or legitimate.

She pointed out that as of today, the bill amending Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Program into the Universal Pension Program that will then cover both pensioners and non-pensioners still has not been approved in the House of Representatives.

The universal social pension is a proposal that states that all senior citizens, regardless of their financial situation or economic class, are entitled to a monthly stipend.

"The program's implementation has not yet been transferred from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to the NCSC. Thus, submitting the senior citizen data form is not required in order to qualify for the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Program," San Jose said.

The National Commission for Senior Citizens recently released a public advisory aimed at cautioning senior citizens on rumors and disinformation pertaining to various issues.

"These issues include the distribution of social pensions to indigent senior citizens, as well as the transfer of functions and duties of senior citizen-related benefits and programs from the DSWD to the NCSC," San Jose explained.

In an official statement, NCSC Chairman Franklin Quijano also explained that while it is factual that Republic Act (RA) 11916 mandates a 100 percent increase in the monthly pension of indigent senior citizens — from P500 to P1,000 — it would still need to be funded by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and could only go into effect once the Bureau of the Treasury has allocated the necessary funds.