A lawmaker is proposing to grant all Filipino senior citizens, regardless of their pension status with any government agency, such as the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), a P1,000 monthly pension.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco pushes for the passage of House Bill No. 4181 to ensure that no senior citizen is left behind.
Rep. Tiangco underscored the large gap in coverage, noting that only about half of the country’s senior citizens are currently receiving monthly assistance under existing laws.
"Ayon sa DSWD, kalahati lang ng seniors ang nakakatanggap ng P1k social pension. Ang may SSS o GSIS ay hindi kwalipikado at nais natin itong mabago (According to the DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development], only half of seniors receive the ₱1,000 social pension. Those with SSS or GSIS are not qualified, and we want to change that),” Tiangco said.
“Kaya itinutulak natin ang universal social pension. Kasi ang problema natin ay sa ngayon, pag may SSS o GSIS, ayaw na nilang bigyan ng social pension (That’s why we are pushing for a universal social pension. The problem right now is that if you have SSS or GSIS, they no longer want to give you a social pension),” he explained.
Tiangco also pointed out that many senior citizens who retired long ago now receive very small monthly pensions from GSIS and SSS, amounts that are no longer sufficient to cover their daily needs.
“Kung matagal na nag-retire yung ating lolo at lola, siyempre maliit na yung halaga ng pension nila (If our grandparents retired a long time ago, of course, the amount of their pension is already small),” the lawmaker said.
He stressed that SSS and GSIS pensions should not be used as a basis for denying social pensions, as the two serve different purposes.
While SSS and GSIS pensions are benefits earned by workers through years of contributions, the social pension is a form of government assistance meant to ensure that all senior citizens can live with dignity.
“Hindi naman dapat maging basehan yung SSS o GSIS sa hindi pagbigay ng social pension. Kasi magkaiba yun. Yung social pension is a social service na binibigay natin na tulong (SSS or GSIS should not be used as a basis for not granting a social pension because they are different. The social pension is a social service that we provide as assistance),” Tiangco explained.
The proposed measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7432 to include all senior citizens under the coverage of the social pension program.
Once enacted, HB 4181 will mandate the DSWD to review and, if necessary, adjust the amount of the universal social pension every two years, based on the prevailing consumer price index and other key economic indicators. PR