“Kakaasi biag ko. Marigrigatak (My life has been so difficult),” that is what Mr. Rodolfo G. Galimba, a Social Pensioner of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 1 (DSWD FO 1) Social Pension (SocPen) Program, keeps saying when we visited him in the old house of his late Aunt in Banayoyo, Ilocos Sur.
After Rodolfo’s wife left him in 2021, Rodolfo has been living alone since suffering a stroke in 2022. The only person helping him during this ordeal is his brother, Mr. Edgardo Galimba, who lives close to his home. Edgardo assists Rodolfo with everything from buying and preparing his meals to bathing. Edgardo claims that by using his brother’s pension from SocPen, all of these became somewhat bearable.
Just last year, after his 60th Birthday, he was prioritized to receive a PhP3,000.00 quarterly pension from DSWD SocPen Program and became one of the 206,074 Social Pensioners in Region 1.
According to the program’s data, out of the 206,074 Social Pensioners, 1,429 are living alone, and 9,032 are with disabilities.
Since not all Senior Citizens qualify as social pensioners, Ms. Eliza M. Aromin, the Head of Social Pension Program Management Office (SPPMO), explained in an interview that the SocPen Program has guide points for replacing pensioners once there are available slots, such as in the event of pensioner’s death.
“Iyong pinakamataas na percentage po natin sa guide points natin ay iyong health condition ng ating mga Senior Citizens, pumapangalawa iyong kanilang economic status, at pumapangatlo ay iyong living condition at the same time iyong kanilang age (The highest percentage of our guide points is the health condition of our Senior Citizens (SCs), second is their economic status, and third is their living condition and at the same time their age),” said by Ms. Aromin.
The SocPen Program of DSWD has been providing stipend to eligible SCs since 2011 as an aid to their daily basic needs and medical requirements. Criteria to be one of the eligible pensioners are those SCs who are frail, sickly, or with disability; SCs who are not receiving any pension from Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), or any private institutions; SCs who do not have a regular source of income; and SCs who are not receiving support from their relatives. (by: Jaymante Pearl B. Apilado – Social Marketing Unit)