DSWD PHOTO
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will start using the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), or National ID, as the primary identification for the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens beginning April 1.
Senior citizens who have not yet registered with PhilSys are encouraged to sign up at the nearest office of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
To make the process easier for beneficiaries, PhilSys registration will also be conducted during scheduled pension payout activities.
For bedridden senior citizens who are unable to travel, PSA personnel will conduct home visits to facilitate their registration.
The SocPen program provides a monthly stipend of P1,000 to indigent Filipinos aged 60 and above who are frail, sickly, or living with disabilities, and who have no regular income, pension, or financial support from their families.
Under Republic Act No. 11916, or the law increasing the social pension of senior citizens, the monthly stipend for indigent elderly beneficiaries was doubled from P500 to P1,000.
The law lapsed into effect in July 2022, with the increased pension implemented starting January 2024.
Qualified beneficiaries receive their stipend on a quarterly basis.
In 2025, a total of 4,113,050 indigent senior citizens received their social pension from the DSWD, exceeding the original target of 4,085,066 beneficiaries.
