Records from the DSWD Field Office Eight indicated that most of Region Eight’s 87, 920 social pensioners are regularly receiving their quarterly pension this year.

DSWD Field Office Eight Regional Director Restituto Macuto said that efforts are being maximized to ensure that the Social Pension is not sacrificed, as the assistance is meant to help the very poor senior citizens who can hardly buy medicines and food. However, he emphasized that the cash grant is intended merely to augment their needs.
The Regional Director reported that the agency even linked with the Philippine Veterans Bank to be the service provider for the Social Pension door-to-door delivery scheme. He explained that the reason behind the arrangement is to hasten delivery of cash grants in hard-to-reach areas or those with bigger targets. These areas are Tacloban City; Dulag, Tanauan, La Paz and Julita municipalities of Leyte province; Guiuan, Giporlos, Maslog, Jipapad, San Julian and Hernani, Eastern Samar ; Macrohon in Southern Leyte; and Jiabong, Motiong, and Hinabangan, Samar.
The breakdown of social pensioners per province is as follows : Leyte – 31, 276 beneficiaries, Samar – 16, 760, Northern Samar – 12, 890, Eastern Samar – 12, 036, Southern Leyte – 10, 733, and Biliran – 4, 225.
Even with some problem – areas, the Field Office saw to it the continuous pay-outs by designating three Special Disbursement Officers to the localities. Director Macuto cited three towns from Eastern Samar, two from Southern Leyte, one from Northern Samar, and another one from Samar which have not liquidated the Social Pension Funds downloaded to them since 2015.
Social Pension Focal Person, Asther Dadulla, added that 108 of the total 143 local government units (LGUs), which have not liquidated the Social Pension funds, were as of 2016 only. She reported that the office is constantly on track on the settlement of these accounts.
On the other hand, Dadulla revealed that after super typhoon Yolanda, the DSWD Field Office has been reconstructing documents. That was the reason for the earlier delay, but it is now keeping up with the schedule, she said. ‪#‎TeamMayMalasakit