Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated on Monday the criteria to qualify for the agency's Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Program (SocPen). The DSWD advised the public to disregard social media contents that announce all Filipino elderly, rich or poor, are entitled to receive social pension as provided under the Universal Social Pension bill, which is pending in Congress.

According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary Ada Colico of the DSWD's Protective Programs emphasized that only senior citizens who are poor, sick, feeble, or with disability and who do not receive any pension, assistance from family members, or do not have a permanent source of income to support their daily needs can receive a monthly pension under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens of the DSWD. Colico's statement aims to clarify misconceptions and prevent the spread of misleading information on social media platforms regarding the eligibility for the social pension.

The SocPen is a program under Republic Act (RA) No. 9994, known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which initially provided a monthly stipend of PHP500 to help indigent senior citizens with their daily subsistence and medical needs. With the enactment of RA 11916, the social pension was increased, allowing indigent senior citizens to receive a monthly stipend of PHP1,000 since January 2024. This amount is distributed to beneficiaries on a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly basis.

The DSWD's implementation of the law currently covers a total of 4,085,066 indigent senior citizens. Colico further advised the public to rely only on official DSWD social media accounts and the department's website for accurate information, as some online posts may mislead the public, especially vulnerable groups.