FACT CHECK: No P10,000 cash aid for all senior citizens from DSWD

Claim: All senior citizens aged 60 years old and above can receive P10,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) upon presentation of their senior citizen IDs.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The video containing the claim was posted by the verified YouTube channel “Balitang Pinas” with 658,000 subscribers. As of writing, it has 32,523 views and 997 likes.

The thumbnail and title of the video bear the claim: “To all 60 yrs old & above! Basta may seniors ID ka! P10,000 one time cash aid, pirmado na!” (To all 60 years old and above! As long as you have a senior’s ID! P10,000 one-time cash aid, signed!)

The facts: In a public advisory released on February 29, the DSWD clarified that it does not offer a program providing P10,000 assistance to senior citizens upon presentation of their senior citizen IDs.

Similar posts about supposed cash gifts to senior citizens have also been previously debunked by the National Commission of Senior Citizens.

The misleading video used audio from a February 2024 interview with NCSC Commissioner Reymar Mansilungan, but he did not mention any P10,000 one-time cash aid for senior citizen ID bearers.

Conditions for cash aid: Social pensions and cash gifts are available to senior citizens but under certain conditions.

Under Republic Act (RA) No. 11916, which lapsed into law in 2022, only indigent seniors are eligible for a social pension. Implemented in 2024, the law doubled the monthly social pension for indigent seniors from P500 to P1,000 to support their necessities and medical expenses. Around 4 million senior citizens are expected to benefit from its implementation.

A more recent legislative development is RA 11982, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on February 26, 2024, which expands the Centenarians Act of 2016. Under this law, the government will provide a P10,000 cash gift to Filipinos reaching the age of 80, and another P10,000 every five years thereafter until they reach 95. (READ: Senior citizens aged 80 and up get cash gifts too under expanded law)

DSWD aid: The DSWD offers additional assistance to the elderly through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program. The program supports those experiencing crises by providing aid for various expenses, including transportation, funeral, medical, food, and educational needs.

Debunked: Various versions of this claim have circulated on social media in recent weeks, citing different amounts and various government offices as the supposed source of the cash gifts. Rappler has debunked these claims:

Official news: For official updates on the social pension for indigent senior citizens and DSWD programs and services, refer to the official DSWD website and its social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. – Chinie Ann Jocel R. Mendoza/Rappler.com

Chinie Ann Jocel R. Mendoza is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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