Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has achieved 90.88 percent of its first quarter target for its Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) program after serving 3,375,834 indigent senior citizens as of June 1.

According to Philippines News Agency, this accomplishment was driven by the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure timely financial assistance to vulnerable sectors. DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao highlighted that each indigent senior citizen receives a PHP1,000 social pension per month, translating to PHP3,000 per quarter. The department is actively working to disburse the social pension to the remaining 338,881 elderly citizens.

The SPISC program aims to provide financial assistance to qualified elderly Filipinos, helping to cover their daily medical and subsistence costs. The DSWD utilizes data from the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to identify and prioritize areas with high poverty rates, in line with Republic Act No. 11315.

Eligibility for the SPISC program requires that an indigent senior citizen be aged 60 or older, vulnerable, or living with a disability, without regular income or financial support from relatives, and not receiving any pension from government agencies like SSS, GSIS, or PVAO.

Dumlao emphasized the DSWD's commitment to improving assistance delivery to indigent senior citizens, acknowledging the significant impact on their daily needs.