A SOLON has asked the executive branch to ensure the inclusion of a P25-billion additional fund in the 2023 budget to cover the increased monthly pension of indigent senior citizens provided under a new law.
Republic Act No. 11916, which lapsed into law on July 30, doubled the pension rate of poor citizens at least 60 years old to 1,000 monthly from P500.
“We have to augment the allowance of poor seniors so that they can meet their daily subsistence, including health maintenance needs, considering the soaring cost of food and other basic commodities,” Mr. Pimentel said in a statement on Sunday.
This year’s P25-billion allocation for the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPPISC) covers 4.1 million beneficiaries identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo