The Regional Inter-Agency Committee for Senior Citizens recently conducted their quarterly meeting . Spearheaded by the Sectoral Unit Head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Ms.Concepcion Dorado, it was participated by 25 representatives from the various Federation for Senior Citizens in the region.
In the meeting, the Regional Inter-Agency Committee Plan of Action for 2014 for Senior Citizens was presented .
Another highlight of the said activity included the sharing of accomplishments and best practices in which Mr. Nicanor Abdon, the Senior Citizen Federation President of Valencia City, Bukidnon shared to the committee the effort done by the City government of Valencia City to adopt the Social Pension program of the government . City Ordinance No. 44-2011 which was signed during the 38th regular session last May 20, 2011 by Mayor Leandro Jose Catarata, declared the grant of benefits and privileges to Senior Citizens of Valencia City. Through this ordinance,all senior citizens who are 70 years old and above , regardless if pensioner or not , shall be receiving a monthly stipend of P200 every month for life (released every quarter). To date, 3,000 senior citizens have been enjoying this grant from the City government of Valencia.
Aside from this, Chapter Presidents in every FSCAP organizations in the barangays are receiving monthly honorarium of P1,000 .
The city of El Salvador City also had its own share of replicating the grant of additional benefits to the senior citizens in their locality. For now, about 400 elderly, 75 years old and above, are enjoying a monthly grant of P500.00 each .A totalof P600,000.00 have been allocated by the City government every quarter for the senior citizens in El Salvador City .
Elderly grantees were identified based on the recommendations by the Barangay Senior Citizen Presidents which were then validated by the City Social Welfare and Development Office. Presidents from the barangay senior citizen organizations are also granted transportation allowance in their attendance to monthly meetings.
According to Ms. Priscel Tanoy, one of the staff of the Local Social Welfare and Development Office of El Salvador City, this was a replication of what was done in Valencia City wherein additional monthly grants for senior citizens were granted. This was made possible through their constant lobbying to the Sanggunian members of the city.
Other federated Senior Citizen organizations in the region are also on the process of advocating and lobbying for the additional grants for the elderly in their localities.
The Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens is one of the provisions under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 9994 otherwise known as the “Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010”.
Social Pension is an additional government assistance in the amount of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) monthly stipend to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of senior citizens .
Written by Mitzie S. Santiago,DSWD