ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is searching the whereabouts of 400 social pensioners in this city.
Ivan Eric Salvador, DSWD regional information officer, told the Philippine News Agency on Monday these senior citizens failed to claim their social pension for the June payout.
The June payout covers the second quarter of the year as the DSWD releases the social pension on a quarterly basis.
Salvador said they tapped the assistance of the village officials to hasten the search of these social pensioners.
Salvador said there are several possible reasons they have not yet claimed their pension, and these are: they are sick; they have moved to another place; and they have died.
Salvador said those who are sick or on vacation may still claim their pension for the second quarter, but it will be released in October, the next payout schedule.
He said they have to locate the beneficiaries’ whereabouts for the agency to properly liquidate the funds and to determine whether they have to be delisted from the social pensioners’ list.
Each of the beneficiaries receive P1,500 pension each quarter, since the monthly social pension is P500. Salvador said there are 16,971 social pensioners in this city.
Salvador said those qualified to avail themselves of the social pension must be indigent; at least 60 years old and those who do not have Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System pensions.