
MANILA – The House of Representatives approved on final reading a plan to increase the current social pension for senior citizens from PHP500 to PHP1,000.
A total of 225 legislators voted in support of House Bill 9459, which proposes to amend Republic Act 7432 by granting pension to all elderly people and increasing the social pension of indigent senior citizens. No one voted against the measure or refrained from voting.
The social pension is a monetary grant from the government to support senior citizens’ daily sustenance and medical needs, which will amount to PHP1,000 per month after the bill is passed into law.
The bill requires the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to examine and, if necessary, increase the amount of social pension every two years after it becomes law.
The National Commission on Senior Citizens will take over the implementation, distribution, and management of the social pension from the DSWD.