Senior Citizens party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes on Sunday called on the Senate to act with urgency on the long-delayed universal social pension bill, describing it as a “meaningful and doable legacy measure” for Filipino senior citizens.
“There is still time in the remaining session days. House Bill 10423, which seeks to grant a universal social pension to senior citizens by amending RA 7432, was approved by the House on May 21, 2024, and transmitted to the Senate the following day. It has been pending in the Senate for over a year,” he said.
Ordanes, chairman of the House Committee on Senior Citizens, appealed to Senate President Francis Escudero to take the bill to the plenary before the end of the 19th Congress.
House Bill 10423 seeks to provide a monthly pension to all senior citizens by amending Republic Act No. 7432.
The measure proposes a monthly stipend of P1,000 for indigent seniors and P500 for non-indigent seniors, with the latter amount increasing to P1,000 after five years.
According to Ordanes, the measure is not simply another financial assistance program, but a fiscally responsible initiative with a phased rollout to ensure sustainability.
He added that the universal social pension would “uplift the dignity and well-being of seniors, especially those who continue to be vulnerable to poverty and neglect.
“Beyond this bill, we must push for more legislation on elderly welfare, particularly on elder abuse and financial fraud. We must also continue closely monitoring the performance of PhilHealth, DSWD”(Department of Social Welfare and Development), the National Commission of Senior Citizens, veterans’ affairs, retirees, pensioners, and the tens of thousands of OSCAs nationwide,” he added.
The Senate version of the bill docketed as Universal Social Pension Act (Senate Bill 2929) was introduced by Senator Jinggoy Estrada on January 22, 2025. It draws its foundation from the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which mandates the State to promote a just and dynamic social order by providing adequate social services and improving the quality of life for all.
“While the family is primarily responsible for caring for elderly members, the Constitution also affirms the State’s role in supporting them through social security programs,” the proponents said.
“This is a form of social protection and economic empowerment measure that will help our beloved senior citizens have sort some of financial freedom amid the soaring prices of basic commodities and their medicine needs,” Estrada said in the bill’s explanatory note.
“The universal social pension, especially for underprivileged senior citizens, will also greatly improve their quality of health, increase their feeling of social inclusion, and help them find dignity in themselves despite their age or economic status,” it added.
