A bill seeking to double the monthly social pension for senior citizens, from ₱1,000 to ₱2,000, has been filed in the House of Representatives.
House Resolution 1370 was filed by the Makabayan Bloc, led by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio.
“This is a concrete step toward recognizing that our senior citizens deserve not merely gratitude, but adequate and sustained social protection,” Tinio said in a statement issued Thursday.
Beyond the pension increase, the bill proposes expanding coverage to Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) pensioners who currently receive ₱10,000 or less a month. It also seeks to institute an automatic periodic adjustment of the social pension tied to inflation.
The bill’s authors cited Philippine Statistics Authority data showing the country now has 9.85 million senior citizens, or roughly one in every 11 Filipinos.
The measure’s explanatory note grounds the proposal in constitutional provisions. “The Constitution recognizes older persons as a priority sector deserving special protection. Article XIII, Section 11 mandates the State to give priority to the needs of the elderly, while Article II affirms the State’s commitment to social justice and the promotion of a dignified life for all,” the note reads.
The bill follows lobbying from the group Seniors Kontra Kurakot (SKK), which had pushed for increased government spending on social protection and services for the elderly.
“Senior citizens have contributed decades of work and service to their families, communities and society. They deserve a pension and social protection system that allows them to live with dignity, not one that leaves them struggling to survive,” SKK said in a statement.
SKK urged Congress to pass the bill and to allocate sufficient funds for its implementation once enacted.
The measure has been filed and has not yet been scheduled for committee deliberation in the House.
