The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Eastern Visayas (Region 8), in collaboration with 143 local government units (LGUs) in the region, has released P1.59 billion in social pension funds to indigent senior citizens during the first semester of 2026.
Lawyer Jonalyndie Chua, DSWD-8 information officer, on Tuesday said the program benefited 267,003 senior citizens in the first quarter and 263,315 in the second quarter, with each qualified beneficiary receiving P6,000 for six months.
The beneficiaries are senior citizens who are not receiving a pension from the government or private institutions.
‘In line with Republic Act No. 11315, or the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act, the DSWD has officially adopted CBMS data as the primary basis for identifying and selecting qualified beneficiaries of the social pension program. The transition supports the government’s commitment to utilizing updated, localized, and data-driven information in delivering responsive social protection services,’ Chua said in a phone interview.
The DSWD released the funds to LGUs through the Transfer of Funds (ToF) modality, under which the agency transfers the budget for social protection programs directly to local governments.
According to Chua, the arrangement allows for faster and more efficient distribution of stipends by reducing logistical bottlenecks.
‘Our LGUs are in a better position to distribute the assistance since they are aware of the situation in their localities, such as the distance of communities from the payout centers, availability of senior citizens and local events,’ Chua added.
Each qualified indigent senior citizen receives a stipend of P1,000 per month for the entire year, with the funds released quarterly.
Pursuant to the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens is a government intervention designed to improve the living conditions of poor older persons.
The assistance helps augment their capacity to meet daily subsistence and medical needs, reducing the incidence of hunger and helping prevent neglect, abuse, and deprivation.
In 2025, DSWD-8 released P3.31 billion in social pension funds to more than 276,000 senior citizens enrolled in the program.