SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
T h i r d  R e g u l a r  S e s s io n
)))
SENATE
S. B. No. 213 8
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*19 
JAN 14 
All -4]
In tro d u ced  By S en ato r Ana T h eresia “Risa" H ontiveros B araquel
AN ACT
GRANTING UNIVERSAL SOCIAL PENSION TO ALL SENIOR CITIZENS AGED 65 YEARS 
OLD AND ABOVE, AMENDING FOR THIS PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7432, AS
AMENDED
EXPLANATORY NOTE
In the Philippines, and in many countries around the world growing old is becoming one of 
the biggest economic challenges facing both the individual and society, as a whole. Based 
on the population projection of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of Filipinos 
over the age of 60 is set to triple in the next 30 years from 7.6 million in 2015 to 22.6 
million in 2045.1 As the population continues to age, the matter of securing a steady 
income to support the well-being of older persons becomes more relevant in addressing 
issues of poverty and inequality. Providing social protection for the elderly is among the 
universally accepted and proven approaches in reducing incidence of poverty and in 
narrowing the equality gap. Pensions also strengthen inclusive growth by spreading and 
sharing the financial demands of the aging population across society. The social pension 
currently received by our indigent senior citizens mitigates the financial difficulties they 
suffer on a daily basis by supplementing their budget for food and medication for their 
declining health. However, its overall impact is limited by how the pension scheme is 
designed by excluding a large portion of vulnerable elderly, and by the measly amount of 
five hundred pesos the beneficiaries receive monthly.
A universal social pension for the elderly would likewise narrow the pension coverage gap. 
Our neighbors in the region, such as Thailand, Brunei, Timor-Leste and Vietnam are 
currently implementing similar tax-financed schemes that cover all citizens of a specified 
age. Apart from strengthening the development of our existing pension system and 
narrowing the gap in our pension coverage, there are other advantages to a universal 
pension approach compared to the means-tested system we are currently using. First, it is 
one of the simplest and most effective ways to guarantee that every senior citizen receives 
a pension. Without much room for exclusion errors, it ensures that all poor senior citizens 
will be covered. Second, it will provide substantial security for low-income earners in the 
informal sector. Third, since the criteria for eligibility is simple and straightforward, it 
reduces instances of corruption and clientelistic practices. Fourth, as the pension shall be 
viewed as a right rather than a dole-out, the dignity of the recipients is preserved. It is also 
a recognition of our senior citizens' life-long contributions to society by way of the taxes 
they have paid, their productive labor, and their efforts in raising the generations of
P h ilip p in e  S ta tis tic s  A u t h o r it y ,  " 2 0 1 0  C e n s u s -B a s e d  P o p u la tio n  P r o je c tio n s  in  C o lla b o r a tio n  w it h  t h e  In te r - A g e n c v  
G r o u p  o n  P o p u la tio n  P r o je c tio n s " .