MANILA (September 22) —President Marcos has relocated the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in order to strengthen older policies and initiatives.
“A strong organizational link between the NCSC and DSWD must be established to further strengthen policies and programs for senior citizens, with the goal of enhancing delivery of social services and promoting the overall well-being and protection of the elderly,” according to Marcos’ Executive Order 96.
According to EO 96, signed for the President by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on September 18, the implementation, distribution, and management of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) Program would continue to be handled by the DSWD.
The SPISC provides financial assistance to qualified elderly individuals to meet their daily living and medical expenses.
EO 96 also mentioned Republic Act 12231, popularly known as the Government Optimization Act of 2025, which allows the President to transfer or consolidate operations from one agency to another in order to expedite the bureaucratic process.
The NCSC was founded by RA 11350, which was enacted in 2019 to ensure the complete implementation of laws, policies, and initiatives to protect senior citizen’s rights.
Under RA 11350, all DSWD functions, programs, initiatives, and activities for the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged senior citizens would be transferred to the NCSC, which is affiliated to the President’s Office.
According to government figures, the country has almost nine million senior citizens.
