House OKs universal social pension for seniors bill on final reading
The House of Representatives has approved the bill seeking to expand the universal social pensions for all Filipino senior citizens on the third and final reading.
The lower chamber passed House Bill No. 10423 on Tuesday, May 21 after garnering 232 affirmative votes.
This bill amends the Republic Act No. 7432, which will make the granting of universal social pensions mandatory to all Filipino senior citizens, not just indigents.
Under the Republic Act No. 7432 or the Senior Citizen Act, indigent senior citizens are granted a monthly allowance of P1,000 to support their daily needs, including medical needs.
With the new bill, all senior citizens are entitled to a P500 monthly stipend, which will increase to P1,000 within five years since enacted into law “regardless of any other pension benefits they may receive from other pension providers.”
"The passage of the Universal Social Pension Bill is not just for those who have walked before us, but for the generations whose journeys have only begun," said Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay, who also authored the bill.
"It ensures that no Filipino senior citizen today or tomorrow will ever be left behind or forgotten. It is about time that all Filipinos have a pension,” she added.
It added that it also seeks to transfer the program management from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) within three years.
Senior citizens, however, have the option to pull out of the program if they wish to.
Apart from this, the House also approved HB No. 10312, which seeks to provide a 20% discount, value-added tax exemption, and special discount to senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD) on top of the promotional offers or discounts when they buy basic necessities and prime commodities at any business establishments.
In addition, they also passed HB No. 10313, which mandates a dedicated section in the eGov PH Super App to assist senior citizens and persons with disabilities in accessing government services, including healthcare, livelihood, social services, and informational resources. Under this bill, digital copies of their IDs from the app shall be considered valid proof of identity in availing the privileges.
Other bills for senior citizens include HB No. 10314 which will also provide a 20% discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption on parking fees and the use of expressways and skyways. It also aims to provide a 16% discount on their monthly use of water and electricity supplied by public utilities; and HB No. 10188 aims to protect senior citizens from fraudulent acts done via the internet, mail, and telemarketing.
