No senior left behind: Tinglayan pushes local pension for elderly left out of DSWD aid

Tinglayan, Kalinga – With many elderly residents still not included in the national government's social pension program, the joint councils of Tinglayan are pushing for the establishment of a Municipal Pension Program to provide financial assistance to indigent senior citizens and strengthen social protection for the municipality's elderly population.

The Municipal Council for the Protection of Children (MCPC), Local Council Against Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Their Children (LCAT-VAWC), Senior Citizens Council, and Persons with Disability Affairs (PDA) Council convened on June 16, 2026, for their second-quarter meeting, where one of the key agenda items was the provision of regular financial assistance to indigent senior citizens.

During the meeting, council members recognized that many elderly residents have yet to receive any regular pension despite their age and economic vulnerability because they are still awaiting inclusion in the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens.

To strengthen social protection for the municipality's elderly population, the four councils adopted Joint Resolution No. 06, Series of 2026, urging the Sangguniang Bayan to enact an ordinance establishing a Municipal Pension Program for indigent senior citizens who are not yet beneficiaries of the DSWD's Social Pension Program.

The councils said the proposed measure aims to provide local financial assistance to qualified senior citizens until they are covered by the national government's social pension program.

In a statement, Mayor Charles Abay expressed his support for the initiative, reaffirming the municipal government's commitment to inclusive social welfare programs that respond to the needs of the community's most vulnerable sectors.

“Our senior citizens devoted many years of their lives to building our families and our community. Through this proposed Municipal Pension Program, we hope to provide meaningful assistance to those who have not yet been covered by the national social pension program. This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that no elderly resident of Tinglayan is left behind,” he said.

The joint resolution has been transmitted to the Sangguniang Bayan of Tinglayan, headed by Vice Mayor Alexander Malasi, for appropriate legislative action.