Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

241
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by
BAYAN MUNA Representatives CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
FERDINAND R. GAITE and EUFEMIA C. CULLAMAT

AN ACT
INCREASING THE MONTHLY SOCIAL PENSION OF SENIOR CITIZENS
EXPANDING THE COVERAGE THEREOF

EXPLANATORY NOTE

More than ninety percent of our population continues to work hard for a
living.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that Philippine GDP grew
at its slowest in 16 quarters at 5.6% in the first quarter of 2019 since the 2015 first
quarter GDP growth rate of 5.1%. This is slower than the 2018 first quarter GDP
growth of 6.5 percent.

According to the independent think-tank IBON, the slower gross domestic
product (GDP) growth during the first quarter of 2019 belies any claim of a healthy
Philippine economy. Agriculture had stagnant growth in the last three years, while
manufacturing and real estate registered the slowest first quarter growth in the past
decade.

Agriculture registered 1.7 million jobs lost from January 2018 to January
2019, the largest contraction of agriculture jobs across all January rounds post-Marcos
‘administration. Manufacturing created only 110,000 jobs in the same period, only a
fourth of the seasonal jobs created in construction.

The prospects for the majority of Filipinos can only worsen with slowing
growth. Additional taxes and very low wages have further decreased the income of
the poorest sectors of the society. What is worse though is that one sector heavily
affected by this situation are our senior citizens or the elderly.

‘There is therefore a felt need to provide our senior citizens additional and
better benefits than what are presently provided under present laws, especially now
that with old age their health starts to fail, yet they could no longer or they are hard
put to provide for themselves.


The proportion of the older population is rising worldwide. The same is
ee Ree ete eae allan tog ec ta pemtaonin
1995, the senior citizen population has increased to 5.8 million or 6.5% of the
population as of 2010. Now based on Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) data there are around 3 million indigent senior citizens in the country and
the benefits they are getting are quite dismal.

Based on the study of Coalition of the Services of the Elderly (COSE), only
17% of senior citizens receive social pension at P500, while majority or 54% do not
receive any pension at all. Even among those who are receiving pension (SSS, GSIS
and others), for SSS pensioners in particular, a third or 34% receive less than
P2,000/month while more than half or 52% receive less than P3,000.

to the Philippine Statistics Authority, poverty incidence among
wifes eas sis Beto aeoe o 0T4 aa aoe 16 1%, Tatthcos:
figures are based on a very low poverty threshold set by the government which was
P10,481/month for a family of five, or P69.87/day or P2,096/month/person. Even this
very low poverty threshold shows how inadequate the present social pension is.

This bill was first filed in the 17" Congress in response to the clamor of
indigent senior citizens. It was approved at the committee level.

The immediate passage of this bill, thus, is earnestly sought.

Approved,
wR CAP
BAYAN MUNA Partylist
Laat
REP? [AND R. GAITE REP. |] Cc. CULLAMAT
BAYAN MUNA Partylist BAYAN MUNA Partylist

* https:/ releases/nid/138411


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. eal

Introduced by
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Representatives CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
FERDINAND R. GAITE and EUFEMIA C. CULLAMAT

AN ACT
INCREASING THE MONTHLY SOCIAL PENSION OF SENIOR CITIZENS
EXPANDING THE COVERAGE THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by Republic Act
No. 9257, further amended by Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as the
“Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010", is hereby further amended to read as
follows:

“Sec. 2. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, these terms are defined
as follows:
xx

["(h) Indigent senior citizen, refers to any elderly who is frail, sickly or with
disability, and without pension or permanent source of income, compensation or
financial assistance from his/her relatives to support his/her basic needs, as
determined by the Department of Social Welfare and development (DSWD) in
consultation with the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board."]

“(h) SOCIAL PENSION REFERS TO THE MONTHLY STIPEND OR
MONETARY GRANT FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO AUGMENT THE
DAILY SUBSISTENCE AND OTHER MEDICAL NEEDS OF SENIOR:
CITIZENS WHICH SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND
PESOS (P 1,000) PER MONTH.”

Section 2. Section 5 of the same Act, as amended, is hereby further amended to read
as follows:

xxx

"(h) Additional Government Assistance


"(1) Social Pension

“"[Indigent] ALL senior citizens WITHOUT PENSION OR WHO ARE
RECEIVING PENSION IN THE AMOUNT OF FIVE THOUSAND PESOS
(PHPS,000) AND BELOW FROM GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE
SYSTEM (GSIS), SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM (SSS) AND PENSION
AND GRATUITY MANAGAMENT (PGMC) shall be entitled to a monthly
stipend OF AT LEAST [amounting to Five hundred pesos (PhpS00)] ONE
THOUSAND PESOS (PhP1,000.00) to augment the daily subsistence and other
medical needs of senior citizens, WHICH AMOUNT SHALL BE [subject to a
review] REVIEWED every two (2) years by Congress, in consultation with the
COMMISSISON ON SENIOR CITIZENS OR IN THE ABSENCE THEREOF,
the DSWD, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE NATIONAL INFLATION
RATE AND OTHER RELEVANT ECONOMIC INDICATORS.

ANY SENIOR CITIZEN MAY OPT NOT TO RECEIVE THE MONTHLY
SOCIAL PENSION AND DONATE TO THE OSCA OR TO ANY
GOVERNMENT-ACCREDITED NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION
(NGO) FOR SENIOR CITIZEN OPERATING IN THE SAME
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WHERE THE DONOR RESIDES.
PROVIDED, THAT THE DONATION SHALL BE UTILIZED TO
AUGMENT THE MEDICAL NEEDS OF THE SENIOR CITIZENS IN THE
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WHERE THE OSCA AND THE
GOVERNMENT-ACCREDITED NGO FOR SENIOR CITIZENS ARE
SITUATED.

xxx

Section 3. If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the
other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 4. All laws, decrees, executive orders, or rules and regulations, contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

Section 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official
Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,