Indigent senior citizens in Tacurong receive social pension

TACURONG CITY - Makabulig ining kwarta para sa mga
garastuson ko sa akon panimalay.”

This were the words ofMrs. Concepcion dela Cruz, a frail
80 year old widow, resident of Baranggay New Lagao, Tacurong City, during the release of her social pension on November 6, 2015 at the Tacurong City Hall. She, along
with other beneficiaries, made a beeline to the city hall early in the morning to receive their stipend from the government worth
P3,000for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the year.

This year, the Local Government Unit of
Tacurong has listed 536 regular pensioners from different barangays of
its jurisdiction. Theyreceived first quarter stipend worth P1,500
last May 2015.

On top of the existing beneficiary,318 new qualified pensioners
have been added to the list this quarter and they are set to receive 3
quarters-worth of their stipend, which amounts to P4,500.

With a total of 854 pensioners this year, LGU
Tacurong, through the DSWD, is able to provide P3.843 million worth of
pension as of the 3rd quarter. The remaining 4th quarter stipend is expected to
be released on January 2016.

According to Violeta Muyuela, president
of the Office for Senior Citizens Affair in Tacurong, the pensioners were identified
and validated individually in their respective barangays through the purok and
are listed in the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) of the DSWD. The
qualifying age of the pensioner is 65 years old, and he or she must be a
resident of Tacurong City.As per and//www.gov.ph/2010/02/15/republic-act-no-9994/ Republic Act No. 9994 , also known as the Expanded
Senior Citizens Act of 2010, every qualified indigent senior citizen of a local
government unit who is frail, sickly, or has disabilities is not receiving
pension from SSS, GSIS, or Veterans Pension and does not have a permanent
source of income or regular support from relatives can receive a monthly
stipend of P500.(LGU Tacurong City
Information)