Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTA’
Quezon City, Metro Mani

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3137

House Bill No.

Introduced by
Senior Citizens Party-List Representative RODOLFO “OMPONG” M. ORDANES

AN ACT HONORING AND GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO FILIPINO
SENIOR CITIZENS AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9994,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND
PRIVILEGES TO SENIOR CITIZENS, FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO.
7432, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT TO MAXIMIZE THE
CONTRIBUTION OF SENIOR CITIZENS TO NATIONAL BUILDING, GRANT
BENEFITS AND SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"

EXPLANATORY NOTE
Our Senior Citizens remain to be one of the most at-risk and economically vulnerable

demographic in the Philippines. According to studies, they become more economically
vulnerable as they age since they are less likely to find or have employment while their medical

expenses continue to pile up due to ill health, disability, or increasing family responsibilities."
Moreover, out of the projected 8.8% of the Philippine population which will comprise of senior
citizens, studies suggest that only 2 out of 10 of them will benefit from retirement/ old-age
pensions.? Meanwhile, only three million seven hundred ninety-six thousand seven hundred
ninety-one (3,796,791) of the indigent senior citizens will be covered by the existing
government social pension program.? Thus, under the existing measures, almost fifty-five

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 2019. Labstat Updates: Decent Work in the Philippines:
‘Statistics on Social Security (Report No. ISSN 0118-8747) Retrieved from
https://psa.gov. ph/sites/default/files/Labstat% 20Updates%20Vol%2023%20N0%201%20Decent
%20Work%20Social%20Security_0.pdf

2 Id,

3 Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 2019. Socia/ Pension Physical
Accomplishment Report as of 31 December 2019.


percent (55%) of the senior citizens will receive no pension at all.* Thus, our current measures
are clearly inadequate to protect our vulnerable senior citizens since it leaves millions of them
Outside the protection of our government. In addition to the above, the current monthly social
Pension of five hundred pesos (PhP 500.00) for indigent senior citizens is not enough to
‘augment their daily expenses since the cost of living in the Philippines, not including rent, is
now estimated to be around Twenty-six thousand eight hundred forty-nine pesos (PhP
26,849).5 Thus, given the facts above, millions of senior citizens are at a high risk of economic
insecurity and resulting poverty.

The plight of the senior citizens runs contrary to the 1987 Philippine Constitution which
mandates that the State has a duty to care for its elderly members through programs of social
security® and the State's policy under existing laws which emphasizes its mandate to re-affirm
the valued Filipino tradition of caring for the senior citizens and foster their capacity to attain
More meaningful and productive aging,”

Thus, this bill seeks to provide all senior citizens with the economic security they deserve and
secure their welfare as mandated by the Philippines Constitution and other relevant laws by
Providing a one thousand pesos (PhP 1,000.00) monthly social pension to all senior citizens,
without any distinctions.

In view of this, the passage of the bill is sought.

RODOLFO “OM . ORDANES,-

* Galvez, D. (21 January 2019). Philippines to have an ‘aging population’ between 2030 and 2035 -
Po.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1075493/philippines-to-
have-aging-population-between-2030-and-2035-cpd

Numbeo.com. (2020). Cost of Living in Manila. [online] Available at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-
of-living/in/Manila.

© Phil. Const. Art. XV Section 4.

7 Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3137

House Bill No.“ —~

Introduced by
Senior Citizens Party-List Representative RODOLFO “OMPONG” M. ORDANES

AN ACT HONORING AND GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO FILIPINO
SENIOR CITIZENS AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9994,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND
PRIVILEGES TO SENIOR CITIZENS, FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO.
7432, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT TO MAXIMIZE THE
CONTRIBUTION OF SENIOR CITIZENS TO NATIONAL BUILDING, GRANT
BENEFITS AND SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"

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

SECTION 1. Insertion of new paragraphs (i) and (J) in Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9994
to be read as follows:

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

» 006

(i) SOCIAL PENSION REFERS TO A NON-CONTRIBUTORY
MONETARY GRANT FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT THE
DAILY SUBSISTENCE AND MEDICAL NEEDS OF SENIOR
CITIZENS WHICH SHALL AMOUNT TO NO LESS THAN ONE
THOUSAND PESOS (PHP 1,000.00) PER MONTH.

¢)) PENSION PROVIDER REFERS TO ANY GOVERNMENT OFFICE OR
AGENCY OR ANY PRIVATE ENTITY WHICH PROVIDES
PENSIONS TO ENTITLED RECIPIENTS ON THE BASIS OF
CONTRIBUTIONS, GRATUITY, OR AS MANDATED BY ANY
GOVERNING LAW OR ISSUANCE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM (SSS), THE GOVERNMENT


SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM (GSIS) AND THE PENSION AND
GRATUITY MANAGEMENT CENTER (PGMC), AMONG OTHERS.

SECTION 2. Section 5 of Republic Act No. 9994 is hereby amended, to read as follows:

* SEC. 5. Government Assistance.- The government shall provide the
following:

(h) Additional Government Assistance
(1) MANDATORY Social Pension

[Indigent] ALL senior citizens, WHETHER RECEIVING A PENSION FROM
ANY PENSION PROVIDER, shall be entitled to a monthly stipend
amounting to [Five hundred] AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND pesos (Php[500]
1,000.00) to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs. [of
senior citizens, subject to a review every two (2) years by Congress, in
consultation with the DSWD.]

THE DSWD SHALL PREPARE A ROSTER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
ELIGIBLE FOR THE MONTHLY SOCIAL PENSION BASED ON A
CENTRAL DATABASE WHICH INCLUDES THE CENSUS OF
POPULATION AND HOUSING AND A COMPILATION OF THE
BENEFICIARIES OF ALL PENSION PROVIDERS. THE SSS, GSIS,
PGMC, AND OTHER PENSION PROVIDERS SHALL PROVIDE THE
DSWD WITH ACCESS TO THEIR ROSTER OF BENEFICIARIES EVERY
MONTH FOR THIS PURPOSE. THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS
AUTHORITY WILL LIKEWISE PROVIDE THE DSWD WITH TIMELY
ACCESS TO PERTINENT DATA FOR THIS PURPOSE.

THE DSWD, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT (DBM), AS WELL AS OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS, SHALL REVIEW AND WHEN NECESSARY, ADJUST
THE AMOUNT OF SOCIAL PENSION EVERY TWO (2) YEARS AFTER
THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE
VARIOUS NEEDS OF SENIOR CITIZENS AND RELEVANT ECONOMIC
INDICATORS, AS REPORTED AND PUBLISHED BY PERTINENT
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND AUTHORITIES: PROVIDED, THAT
THE SOCIAL PENSION SHALL NOT BE LESS THAN THE AMOUNT
INITIALLY SPECIFIED IN THIS ACT.


THE IMPLEMENTATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND MANAGEMENT OF
THE SOCIAL PENSION SHALL BE TRANSFERRED FROM THE DSWD
TO THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON SENIOR CITIZENS (NCSC)
WITHIN A PERIOD NOT EXCEEDING THREE (3) YEARS FROM THE
EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT.

Social safety assistance intended to cushion the effects of economic shocks,
disasters, and calamities shall be available for senior citizens. The social safety
assistance which shall include, but not limited to, food, medicines, and
financial assistance for domicile repair, shall be sourced from the
disaster/calamity funds of LGUs where the senior citizens reside, subject to
the guidelines to be issued by the [DSWD] NATIONAL COMMISSION ON
SENIOR CITIZENS.”

SECTION 3. IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS.- WITHIN
THIRTY (30) DAYS FROM THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT, THE
CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION OF SENIOR CITIZENS
(NCSC) SHALL FORMULATE AND ADOPT AMENDMENTS TO THE EXISTING
RULES AND REGULATIONS IMPLEMENTING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9994 TO
CARRY OUT THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS ACT, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT (DSWD),
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM (DOT), THE
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COORDINATING COUNCIL (HUDCC),
THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT (DOLE), DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE (DOJ), DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
(DILG), DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI), DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH (DOH), DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS (DOTC), NATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY (NEDA), DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DEPED), TECHNICAL
EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (TESDA),
COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION (CHED), AND FIVE (5) NON-
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) OR PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATIONS
(POs) FOR THE SENIOR CITIZENS DULY ACCREDITED BY THE DSWD.

SECTION 4. APPROPRIATION. - THE MONTHLY SOCIAL PENSION FOR
SENIOR CITIZENS SHALL WITHIN A PERIOD NOT EXCEEDING THREE (3)
YEARS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS ACT SHALL BE ADDED TO THE
REGULAR APPROPRIATION OF THE DSWD BUDGET IN THE GAA.
THEREAFTER, THE REGULAR APPROPRIATION FOR THE MONTHLY SOCIAL
PENSION FOR SENIOR CITIZEN SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET OF
THE NCSC.

SECTION 5. Separability Clause. — If for any reason, any section, clause, or term of this Act is
held to be illegal, invalid, or unconstitutional, such parts not affected by such declaration shall
remain in full force and effect.


SECTION 6, Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, presidential decrees, or issuance, executive
orders, letters of instruction, rules, or regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. _Effectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation,
whichever comes first.

Approved.