Indigent seniors would see their monthly stipend climb to P2,000 under legislation filed Thursday by the Makabayan bloc, doubling the current government payout.
The proposal, House Bill No. 10770, would also open the program to retirees drawing modest pensions from the two main state funds. Beneficiaries of the Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System who collect P10,000 or less each month would newly qualify for assistance under the measure.
Antonio Tinio, who represents the Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list, framed the bill as a response to mounting living expenses weighing on older Filipinos. “This is a concrete step toward recognizing that our senior citizens deserve not merely gratitude, but adequate and sustained social protection,” he said in a statement.
The Makabayan coalition argued that many low-earning state pensioners struggle just as much as those already covered. “The proposed expansion is particularly significant for SSS and GSIS pensioners receiving P10,000 or less monthly, many of whom face the same economic difficulties as indigent senior citizens but are currently excluded from the social pension program simply because they receive a small pension,” the group said.
At present, qualified indigent seniors collect P1,000 a month through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Program. That figure began at P500 before an earlier increase.
The advocacy group Seniors Kontra Kurakot threw its support behind the filing, urging larger budget provisions and firmer safeguards for older citizens, particularly those with little means. “Senior citizens have contributed decades of work and service to their families, communities and society. They deserve a pension and social protection system that allows them to live with dignity, not one that leaves them struggling to survive,” the group said.
