Senior citizens urged to sign up for social pension

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development - Cordillera (DSWD-Car) has asked senior citizens in the region to proceed to the various DSWD offices to verify whether they are qualified to avail of the social pension fund provided by the government.

Neriza Faye Villanueva, DSWD-Car information officer, said qualified senior citizens will be provided with P500 social monthly pension (Socpen) based on Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“All senior citizens can qualify for the Socpen after they have been proven to be undergoing sickness, disabled, or have not been receiving any pension from other agencies of government,” Villanueva said.

The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (Republic Act 9994) defines the privileges all senior citizens are entitled to.

Elderly Filipinos aged 60 and above are entitled to a 20 percent senior citizen discount and exempted from the value-added tax (VAT) on applicable goods and services for their exclusive use.

“In the month of August alone, 60,400 senior citizens in the region received their social pension. 61,400 are qualified senior citizens in the region from the 83,800 senior citizens in CAR,” Villanueva added.

Under Republic Act 9994, it is the declared policy of the state to promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life.

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