First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos led the ceremonial payout of the increased social pension for indigent senior citizens on Friday at the Department of Social Welfare and Development main office in Quezon City.

Mrs. Marcos was assisted by Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian at the event that capped the DSWD’s 73rd founding anniversary activities.

The First Lady credited social workers for being “the heart and soul of the DSWD” as it looks after the welfare of the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society.

“Your empathy in action, integrity in service, and unity in community are the guiding principles that make the DSWD an invaluable force for good in our nation,” she said.

Addressing the senior citizens at the payout, Mrs. Marcos said, “To all our grandfathers and grandmothers here, you are in good hands with the DSWD.”

The payout is the Marcos administration’s way of recognizing the role played by senior citizens in their families and society, Gatchalian said.

“I know that many of you, despite your age, continue to put food on the table, persistently working to provide for the needs of your families,” he told the recipients.

“Above all, I am aware that many of you are the ones raising your grandchildren because your children are busy with work. These are the stories of sacrifice that we want to honor today,” he added.

Gatchalian thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the First Lady for prioritizing the welfare of senior citizens as part of the newly launched Bagong Pilipinas initiatives.

Some 250 indigent seniors from different Quezon City barangays received their social pensions for the first semester of 2024, totaling P6,000.

Republic Act 11916, or an Act Increasing the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens, which lapsed into law in July 2022, provides for a 100-percent increase in the monthly pension of indigent seniors, from P500 to P1,000, to help cushion the impact of the high inflation.