A thousand indigent persons with disabilities (PWDs) received starting Dec. 1 the P500 each social pension from Iloilo City Government, the only Local Government Unit (LGU) in the country to give such assistance to beneficiaries every December.
They were also given P500 each last May. Some 5,000 indigent senior citizens will also receive P500 each this December.
Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog said the recipients were validated by City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to qualify for the program.
“Those who have less in life must be given importance and due attention by the government. Besides they are the most vulnerable in society,” Mayor Jed said.
Funds for the social pension were taken from the Senior Citizens’ and PWDs’ respective Welfare Programs, CSWD Officer Alfredo Villanueva said.
The city’s program gives out the P500 twice a year to indigent senior citizens 60 and above identified by CSWDO, unlike the national government’s Social Pension Program that gives the P500 social pension to indigent senior citizens aged 77 and above every month.
