ILOILO CITY -– More than 80,000 senior citizens in Western Visayas will receive their social pension of P500 each as soon as arrangement is completed with the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).
Rose Sanagustin of the Department of Social Welfare and Development regional office said the social pension of P472,236,000 for 78,706 target beneficiaries of senior citizens plus an additional of 2,000 beneficiaries expected this 2016.
The cash delivery of social pension will be received by the beneficiaries themselves from the Philpost postmen with security measures to ensure the money deliveries.
Sanagustin said the deliveries will be a testing scheme and if found effective and secure, will be continued for the rest of the year.
Qualifications of the beneficiaries include that they must be 60 years and above, sickly, frail and with disability, no regular source of income, no financial support and assistance from members of the family and with no other pension received from the SSS, PVAO, Veterans or GSIS.
Iloilo has 27,424 beneficiaries with P164,544,000, followed by Negros Occidental with 18,608 beneficiaries with P111,648,000, Capiz has 10,498 with P62,988,000, Aklan has 9,843 with P59,058,000, Antique has 9,575 with P57,450,000 and Guimaras has 2,758 with P16,548,000.
Sanagustin said the province of Iloilo has 43 municipalities and 2 cities. The town of Lambunao has the most number of senior citizens in the province of Iloilo with 1,437 with a funding of P8,622,000, followed by Iloilo City with 1,370 beneficiaries with P8,222,000.
Among the other bigger beneficiaries are San Joaquin with 1,054 funded with P6,324,000, Janiuay with 1,030 funded with P6,180,000, Tigbauan with 878 beneficiaries with P5,268,000, Miag-ao with 840 and P5,040,000, Leon with 835 and P5,010,000. (LCP/Sunnex)