FACT CHECK: Indigent seniors to get P1,000 monthly pension, not P2,000

Claim: All senior citizens will receive a P2,000 monthly pension from the Social Security System (SSS) starting March. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked: The video containing the claim was posted by Balitang Pinas, a verified YouTube channel with 628,000 subscribers. The video has 33,769 views and 884 likes since its posting on February 12. 

The thumbnail and title of the video bear the claim. Its thumbnail says: “Simula sa March, P2,000 SSS pension. Dobleng Pension for seniors.” (The P2,000 SSS pension will start this March. Pension for seniors has now doubled.)

It also featured a 2022 interview with Senior Citizens party list representative Rodolfo Ordanes, where the lawmaker talked about the approved increase in the monthly pensions of indigent senior citizens following the enactment of a 2022 law. 

The facts: Only indigent senior citizens will receive a P1,000 monthly pension, not P2,000 as the video claims, and it will be released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), not SSS. This is based on Republic Act 11916, or the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens Act, which lapsed into law in July 2022. 

In the interview clip of Ordanes featured in the misleading video, he clearly stated that the monthly social pensions of indigent senior citizens increased from P500 to P1,000, contrary to the video’s claim.

Pension for indigent seniors: Republic Act 11916 doubles the monthly social pension of indigent seniors from P500 to P1,000 to “augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs.” Although enacted in 2022, the implementation of the doubled pension started only this 2024, with Caraga Region beginning the payouts in January. 

Under the 2024 national budget, the DSWD has been allocated P49.81 billion for the monthly social pension of the over four million indigent senior citizens in the country. 

No increase in SSS pension: Meanwhile, as previously reported by Vera Files and MindaNews, there is no increase in the monthly allotments to be received by SSS pensioners.

Retired SSS members with at least 10 years of credited years of service can receive a minimum of P1,200, or P2,400 if with at least 20 years of credited service. Only senior citizens who are SSS members and have paid at least 120 monthly contributions prior to retirement are eligible for the retirement benefits.

In March 2023, the SSS management said they are studying a possible P1,000 pension increase. There has been no update on the matter since then. 

Official news: For official updates on the social pension for indigent senior citizens, refer to the official DSWD website and its social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

For official updates on SSS, refer to its official website, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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