By Dorothy Angel Manoz
Claim: A YouTube channel, Tita Kitkat TV claims that the government will now provide an automatic P20,000 monthly social pension for all senior citizens. Senior citizens are those age 60 years old and above. The video was uploaded on February 24, 2024 and as of this writing has 223,565 views, 7,100 likes, and 2,860 comments, and the channel has approximately 53,000 subscribers.
Fact check:
The video’s claim that the government’s social pension program is available for all senior citizens is false.
There is a Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens (SPIC) Program, which started in 2011 through Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which provides a monthly allowance of P500 for senior citizens to augment their daily expenses and medical needs. The social pension was doubled from P500 to P1,000 through Republic Act of 11916 in 2022. This was in response to the COVID-19 crisis, with Senator Joel Villanueva as the principal sponsor.
The law defines indigent senior citizens who are eligible for this requirement are those who are elderly, frail, sickly, or disabled, have a lack of a permanent source of income or financial assistance from relatives to support their basic needs, and is not a beneficiary of any other forms of financial support from the government.
The distribution of the increased social pensions started last February.
Claim Source: https://youtu.be/ioPC8PxU2P4?si=csZxSfLrMQx3Q7gH
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pension, philippines, senior citizens
