A bill seeking to grant all Filipino senior citizens a monthly pension of at least ₱1,000, regardless of income, has cleared a House committee and is awaiting further action in Congress.
Under current law, only indigent seniors receive government pension support. The existing Social Pension Program provides ₱1,000 a month to indigent seniors under Republic Act No. 9994, as amended by Republic Act No. 11916, and is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Seniors who already receive a pension from the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) are currently excluded from this benefit altogether. The proposed measure, which would amend Republic Act No. 7432, the Senior Citizens Act, seeks to remove both restrictions.
The House Committee on Senior Citizens approved a consolidated committee report and substitute bill on December 16, 2025, covering several individual proposals, including House Bill No. 1421, filed by Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo. Under the approved version, “all senior citizens, indigent or not, shall be entitled to a monthly stipend of at least ₱1,000… regardless of any other pension benefits they may receive in any other pension providers,” though the bill allows a senior citizen to waive the benefit if they choose.
Quimbo said the bill addresses a gap that penalizes seniors who worked and contributed to SSS or GSIS during their careers. “Our grandparents worked their whole lives, raised families, and contributed to their communities. Yet in old age, many struggle with everyday expenses. This universal benefit honors their contributions and helps them meet their needs with dignity and peace of mind,” he said.
The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) has backed the measure. NCSC Chairperson and CEO Atty. Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez urged its passage in a submitted position paper, saying, “The State’s support for its elders should be inclusive and absolute, recognizing that the dignity of aging is a universal experience that transcends economic classification.” She added that the agency is prepared to lead the formulation of implementing rules once the measure is enacted.
The bill has not moved forward since its committee approval. As of the most recent independent fact-check, in May 2026, the consolidated measure remained pending at the committee level in both the House and the Senate, with the House version still awaiting clearance from the Committee on Appropriations before it can be assigned a bill number and sent to plenary for final reading. Advocacy groups have continued pushing for faster action; in May 2026, more than one million signatures backing the bill were formally turned over to House leaders.
Because the bill has not been signed into law, there are currently no applications, enrollments, or payouts under the universal pension program, and no implementing rules have been issued. The measure still needs to clear the House Appropriations Committee, reach plenary in both chambers, and be signed by the President before it takes effect.
