Go urges bigger seniors’ social pension budget

During a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget hearing on 24 September, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go urged the government to allocate additional funds to ensure that all eligible senior citizens, including those on the waitlist, receive their social pensions.

Go pointed out that while some beneficiaries receive their pensions, many elderly Filipinos are still on a waitlist because the current budget only covers those already enrolled.

“Earlier, I was asked about social pensions for senior citizens. So many seniors have been approaching me, asking why they haven’t received their pensions yet. I’m raising this issue because they might be on the waitlist,” he said.

He reminded the committee that the monthly social pension is a right guaranteed by Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Go, who also co-authored Republic Act 11916, which increased the social pension for indigent senior citizens, emphasized that seniors deserve better support.

“Our seniors deserve more. We’re committed to ensuring their welfare through legislation,” he added.

The senator also shared that during discussions with the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), he learned that DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian had not yet requested the additional funding needed.

“I asked Sec. Pangandaman at the DBCC meeting, ‘Has DSWD requested an additional budget for social pensions?’” Go recalled.

Secretary Gatchalian clarified that DSWD had asked for an additional P8 billion earlier in the year to cover 800,000 waitlisted beneficiaries. However, the budget hadn’t been increased, and the number of unpaid seniors had grown to about one million.

Go pointed out the consequences: “So, that means, they’ll remain on the waitlist.”

He stressed that the government must clearly explain the situation to affected seniors and work on a solution to fund their pensions.

“We have to explain this to them because wherever I go, seniors are asking, ‘Why haven’t we received our social pension yet?’ This is already a law. What’s P1,000? If we can reallocate P8 to P12 billion for this, it would really help,” he said.

Go also referenced a comment from Senator Loren Legarda, suggesting that rather than wasting funds on flood control projects, some of it should be used for social pensions. “They’re elderly. Let them use it for food and medicine.”