A total of 17,094 indigent senior citizens have received cash subsidy worth PhP 6,000 each in the province Basilan as of April 16, 2021 since the payout of Social Pension (SocPen) Program for Indigent Senior Citizens resumed last March 3, 2021.
SocPen Program is nationally-funded program implemented by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in the Bangsamoro region.
The program provides monthly stipends of PhP 500 to eligible senior citizen beneficiaries in order to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs which is in accordance with the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (R.A. 9994).
SocPen Program caters those indigent elderly who have no stable sources of income and no regular support from relatives as well those who are frail, sickly, and disabled.
Furthermore, the program only includes those senior citizens who are non-pensioners of any insurance agency like GSIS, SSS, AFMBAI, and others.
Since the resumption of the payouts in Basilan, the payout rate has reached 98.3% of the total number of SocPen Program beneficiaries in the province.
Upon the conduct of the series of payouts, the following are the list of municipalities with corresponding number of SocPen Program beneficiaries who already received their assistance, to wit:
• Akbar – 948
• Al-Barka – 1,184
• City of Lamitan – 2, 732
• Hadji Mohammad Ajul – 1, 155
• Hadji Muhtamad – 1, 048
• Lantawan – 1, 090
• Maluso – 2, 726
• Sumisip – 1, 711
• Tabuan – Lasa – 958
• Tipo – tipo – 1, 323
• Tuburan – 884
• Ungkaya Pukan – 1, 335
The distribution of cash grants to the remaining unpaid indigent senior citizens are still on-going in the province.
During the payouts, the provincial and municipal local government units were active and in full support.
Source: Ministry of Social Services and Development
(Photo from MSSD BARMM Provincial Office of Basilan)
