DAVAO CITY — The cleansing of records involving social pensioners resulted to the deletion of at least 111,504 in Region 12 (Soccsksargen).
When the agency started to validate the records of the beneficiaries on the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens, they found out double entries while others on their list are already dead.
Cesario Joel Espejo, DSWD-Region 12 director, in a report by the Philippine News Agency said they started the cleansing of their records in compliance to the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to review all database records involving social pensioners.
Duterte’s order came after the government found the scam involving dialysis patients, the scheme resulted to millions of fraudulent claims.
Espejo revealed records verification showed double entry of names while others were already dead, there were also pensioners who are not qualified because they received pensions from other government agencies.
“This is part of our efforts to ensure that the program will benefit the rightful and eligible senior citizens or those who are really in need,” Espejo said in a media forum.
As of 2018, the agency records showed 264,358 elderly or senior citizens regularly received the PHP500 monthly social pension.
But with the updated list, the DSWD-12 has only 152,854 actual and qualified beneficiaries.
The lists of beneficiaries were submitted by the different local government units through their respective social services office and office of the senior citizens affairs (OSCA).
Espejo said they also cross-matched their list with the pensioners’ records of the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.
Under the social pension program guidelines, those who are qualified to receive include : elderly who are frail and weak, not receiving pension from other agencies and not getting any support from their children and relatives.-ezc with PNA report
