“Patuloy tayong maghahanap ng paraan para mas mapalawak pa ito, para mas marami pa ang matulungan [na senior citizen] sa susunod.”
That was the pledge of San Pedro City, Laguna Mayor Art Mercado as the city government supervised the distribution of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) indigent senior citizen pension program.
The three-day event, held from May 5 to 7, is part of the national government’s program to ensure that senior citizens belonging to the lower income classes will be given assistance for their daily needs.
To ensure the orderly distribution of the pension, senior citizens in the city were classified into three groups who were assigned per barangay, and the distribution was held in two major venues – the Pacita Astrodome and SM Center San Pedro.
“Isang linggo bago po ang itinakdang araw ng payout, nagpo-post na po tayo sa ating social media pages ng anunsyo ng schedule at lugar ng pagdadausan ng payout,” officials of the local City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) told OpinYon Laguna.
“Tumulong na rin po ang mga pangulo ng mga senior citizens association sa ating lungsod sa pag-announce ng schedule at paglalagay ng payroll number sa kanilang mga miyembro na kabilang sa social pension.”
Limitations
Mercado, who personally visited the payout venue, underscored his desire to ensure that every senior citizen in the city will be given financial assistance.
“Sa totoo lang, habang nakakausap ko ang ating mga seniors, at nakikita ko yung saya at pasasalamat sa simpleng tulong, napapaisip ako... sana kaya nating tulungan lahat. Pero alam din natin ang ilang mga limitasyon,” was how he candidly put it in his Facebook page.
Officials of the city government reported to OpinYon Laguna that out of the over 50,000 registered senior citizens in San Pedro City, only 1,900 were qualified to receive the social pension program of the DSWD.
“Itong bilang lang pong ito ang ibinabang slots [ng DSWD] sa ating lungsod ngayong 2026,” officials pointed out.
Nevertheless, Mercado himself promised that the city government will continue to seek ways to provide additional assistance for senior citizens in the city.
“Maraming salamat po sa pag-unawa. At higit sa lahat, maraming salamat po sa malasakit ninyo sa isa’t isa,” he said.
This pledge was echoed by city officials who reported that the Sangguniang Panglungsod has approved last February an ordinance instituting a local social pension for San Pedro City's senior citizens.
"Layunin po ng ordinansa na ito na magbigay sa unang 500 senior citizens na kwalipikado sa naturang programa sa unang taon ng paglulunsad, at madaragdagan po ito taon-taon depende sa naka-allocate na aprubadong pondo bawat taon."
(Photo courtesy of Mayor Art Mercado/Facebook.com)
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