The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD XI) hopes to finish the final list of social pensioners in the second quarter this year.
“We are now more than 50% complete and we are hopeful to finish this by June. The (DSWD) secretary ordered no payout if we do not complete our clean listing,” DSWD XI regional director Mercedita Jabagat told reporters yesterday.
Jabagat said they received many complaints about their list, which prompted them to conduct a revalidation.
“The problem with our social pension is that there are many claims that they are not in the list for the social pensions while there are those who are double pensioners who are included,” Jabagat said.
Jabagat said they found that some social pensioners also receive pension from the Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, and Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc.
Social pensioners receive P500 financial assistance every month.
The DSWD also cross-checked whether social pensioners get regular support from family members.
“We also get conduct collateral information. We also verify reports from the community so that we can revalidate our list for social pensioners,” Jabagat said.
The said agency will also change its payout for social pension from quarterly to semestral.
With the election ban, the DSWD will postpone the downloading of funds to the local government, particularly the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO), and will conduct the payout themselves once they finish the final list.
