According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), not all senior citizens are qualified for the government’s social program.

DSWD-6 Director Rebecca Geamala made this clarification as DSWD is set to remove so-called beneficiaries from its list.

Geamala said that she received reports that names of non-qualified senior citizens have been included as beneficiaries by respective local government units (LGUs) in the six provinces of Region 6.

These are senior citizens who receive pensions from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), or the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

Geamala noted, this is not allowed and only indigent senior citizens who are 60 years old and above are entitled to the P500 monthly aid.

Judith Tanate-Barredo, DSWD-6’s focal person for social pension, said there are currently 365,908 senior citizens who receive monthly assistance./WDJ