Iloilo city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Caraga (DSWD-13) has recently started releasing social pensions for indigent senior citizens covering the first quarter of 2026. In a report on Monday, DSWD-13 said three local government units in Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Norte, along with Butuan City, have completed the distribution.

According to Philippines News Agency, the releases were facilitated through a series of payout activities conducted last week, the agency said. A total of 20,854 indigent senior citizens received stipends of PHP3,000 each, amounting to some PHP62.6 million. In Butuan City, 17,561 beneficiaries received PHP52.7 million in pensions, while 1,539 seniors in San Luis, Agusan del Sur, got PHP4.6 million. In Sison, Surigao del Norte, 1,086 beneficiaries received PHP3.3 million, while 668 seniors in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur, received PHP2 million.

'The payout activities were conducted in close coordination with the concerned local government units, their social welfare offices, and barangay officials,' DSWD-13 said. The social pension program aims to augment the daily subsistence and medical needs of indigent seniors who are frail, sickly, persons with disabilities, or without regular income and family support.