Indigent senior citizens who receive quarterly cash assistance from the government will need to present a National ID when claiming their allowance beginning April 1, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has announced.
The shift affects beneficiaries of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program, which provides P1,000 monthly — released every quarter — to qualified Filipinos aged 60 and above who are frail, sickly, or living with disabilities. The program operates under the Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act of 2010.
Not every senior citizen qualifies. Eligibility is limited to those without pension from the SSS, GSIS, or PVAO, with no regular source of income, not holding any barangay post, and enrolled in the Community-Based Monitoring System. In 2025, the program served 4,113,050 beneficiaries nationwide.
The new rule replaces the previous arrangement, under which seniors could use a Senior Citizen ID or any other valid government-issued ID at payout sites. Going forward, the National ID will be the sole accepted form of identification.
The Philippine Statistics Authority is maintaining registration at more than 200 sites across the country for seniors who have yet to secure the card. On actual payout days, PhilSys registration will also be made available on-site, removing the need for a separate visit.
Those who have already registered but are still waiting for their physical card can check delivery status through PHLPost.
For bedridden beneficiaries who cannot travel, the PSA will arrange home visits to complete registration, ensuring they continue to receive their pension without disruption. The DSWD can be reached through Globe lines 0917-110-5686 and 0917-827-2543, or Smart line 0919-911-6200, and also accepts complaints through its online grievance system.
