Starting the
first quarter of this year, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) is piloting the door-to-door delivery of social
pension for indigent senior citizens in 10 remote municipalities of the
region using services of the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost).
The three-month pilot-testing will be for the deliver, on time, of
cash grants, and for the efficient and cost-effective door-to-door
delivery, DSWD Region 8 Director Remia Tapispisan said.
A total of 1,180 senior citizens from Limasawa in Southern Leyte; San Jose de Buan, Almagro, and Tagapul-an of Samar; Jipapad in Eastern Samar; and Silvino Lobos, Lapining, Gamay, San Vicente, and Capul of Northern Samar, will receive the quarterly stipend of P1,500 right in their own homes.
It was learned that the signing of the memorandum of agreement was conducted recently between the DSWD Field Office 8 and the Philippine Postal Corporation for the three-month mode delivery of pension.
The DSWD is the lead agency in the implementation of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizen, while Philpost has a facility that can service the regionwide distribution of cash grants to beneficiaries who are indigent senior citizens residing in far-flung areas as priority target beneficiaries for the door-to-door delivery.
When the Social Pension Program started in 2011, the DSWD Field Office-8 conducted the distribution at the municipal plaza, and in other areas, and then the agency transferred the funds to the local government units for the latter to handle the giving out of cash grants.
This time, there will be three modes of cash distribution: through the transfer of funds to the local government units, Philpost door-to-door payout, and the Special Disbursing Officers (SDOs) who will go to the municipalities to give the stipend of the social pensioners.
According to Rose Fe Valeriano of the Social Pension Program, the 10 identified municipalities for the door-to-door delivery of social pension are the most hard-to-reach areas by the SDOs.
She added that these officers will take over the disbursing of funds to several municipalities as there are identified LGUs with bad track records in liquidating funds. The SDOs will also take charge in visiting and personally handing out the pension of the bedridden social pension beneficiaries.
“Sometimes it took one to two months for the beneficiary to receive the stipend. It takes that long because in every province, there is only one SDO that disburses the pension except for Leyte which has two SDOs.
The DSWD hopes that with the new mode of payment, the implementation of the Social Pension Program, will be improved and fast tracked.
The government is always finding ways and systems to improve the delivery of social services to the needy public, the DSWD director said.
In far flung and island municipalities, 100 percent of the stipend received by the pensioners was spent for food according to Municipal Social Welfare and Development officers (MSWDOs) and barangay officials. The social pension is changing the lives of indigent beneficiaries, as it allows them to afford to buy food for their daily subsistence and medical needs, it was also learned.
Moreover, the social pension has encouraged senior citizens to stay active and motivated in participating activities for the elderly.
A total of 1,180 senior citizens from Limasawa in Southern Leyte; San Jose de Buan, Almagro, and Tagapul-an of Samar; Jipapad in Eastern Samar; and Silvino Lobos, Lapining, Gamay, San Vicente, and Capul of Northern Samar, will receive the quarterly stipend of P1,500 right in their own homes.
It was learned that the signing of the memorandum of agreement was conducted recently between the DSWD Field Office 8 and the Philippine Postal Corporation for the three-month mode delivery of pension.
The DSWD is the lead agency in the implementation of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizen, while Philpost has a facility that can service the regionwide distribution of cash grants to beneficiaries who are indigent senior citizens residing in far-flung areas as priority target beneficiaries for the door-to-door delivery.
When the Social Pension Program started in 2011, the DSWD Field Office-8 conducted the distribution at the municipal plaza, and in other areas, and then the agency transferred the funds to the local government units for the latter to handle the giving out of cash grants.
This time, there will be three modes of cash distribution: through the transfer of funds to the local government units, Philpost door-to-door payout, and the Special Disbursing Officers (SDOs) who will go to the municipalities to give the stipend of the social pensioners.
According to Rose Fe Valeriano of the Social Pension Program, the 10 identified municipalities for the door-to-door delivery of social pension are the most hard-to-reach areas by the SDOs.
She added that these officers will take over the disbursing of funds to several municipalities as there are identified LGUs with bad track records in liquidating funds. The SDOs will also take charge in visiting and personally handing out the pension of the bedridden social pension beneficiaries.
“Sometimes it took one to two months for the beneficiary to receive the stipend. It takes that long because in every province, there is only one SDO that disburses the pension except for Leyte which has two SDOs.
The DSWD hopes that with the new mode of payment, the implementation of the Social Pension Program, will be improved and fast tracked.
The government is always finding ways and systems to improve the delivery of social services to the needy public, the DSWD director said.
In far flung and island municipalities, 100 percent of the stipend received by the pensioners was spent for food according to Municipal Social Welfare and Development officers (MSWDOs) and barangay officials. The social pension is changing the lives of indigent beneficiaries, as it allows them to afford to buy food for their daily subsistence and medical needs, it was also learned.
Moreover, the social pension has encouraged senior citizens to stay active and motivated in participating activities for the elderly.
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