P46B dagdag-pondo para sa senior citizens — DBM

ni Lolet Abania | November 8, 2022

Kakailanganin pa ng karagdagang P46 billion budget para makapagbigay ng universal social pension sa 7.9 milyong senior citizens o iyong mga edad 60 at pataas sa bansa, ayon sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM) ngayong Martes.

Ito ang inihayag ni DBM official Nihal Abdulrauf sa ginanap na talakayan hinggil sa panukala na pagbibigay ng P1,000 buwanang social pension para sa lahat ng senior citizens, hindi lamang para sa mga indigent elderly.

“Based on our 2015 census, we have 7.9 million seniors, of which 3.8 are indigent. If all of them will be covered by the social pension, our technical bureau’s estimated budget requirement is P92 billion,” saad ni Abdulrauf sa mga mambabatas sa ginanap na public hearing ng House senior citizens panel.

“The cost now is at P46 billion. In order to make it universal, we just multiplied P46 billion twice, that is why it is P92 billion,” pahayag pa ng opisyal.

Ayon kay Abdulrauf, para lahat ng senior citizens ay mabigyan ng social pension, kailangan naman ng P92 billion kung saan aniya, 1.8% ng halaga nito ay ilalaan para sa administrative cost ng pagpapatupad ng programa.

Sinabi naman ni Nueva Ecija Representative Mikaela Suansing, isa sa mga may-akda ng bills ng universal social pension para sa mga senior citizens, ang karagdagang P46 billion budget ay feasible o kayang gawin.

“We do believe, citing the number DBM said, that the additional P46 billion required by this measure is very much worthwhile. As I have said in my explanatory note, a lot of heads of households, who still take care of their dependents, are 60 years old and they are also the ones impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” sabi ni Suansing.

“That is why this measure is very much needed at this time. We need to allocate more resources for our beloved senior citizens,” dagdag ng mambabatas.

Base sa records ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) na isinumite sa House panel, ang bilang ng mga indigent senior citizens na nasasakop ng P1,000 monthly social pension ay nasa 4 milyon na, habang tinatayang 500,000 ang waitlisted at inaasahan na ring maging eligible.

Binanggit naman ni Nonita Red ng Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs sa Albay na kailangan ng mga matatanda sa bansa na maging “economically secure.”

“This will be a dream come true. The seniors cannot live productively and meaningfully if they are not economically secure. This is for our total well-being,” saad ni Red.