Starting February 2024, indigent senior citizens will get twice the amount for their monthly pension, from P500 to P1000. 

This increase is in accordance with RA 11916, which focuses on the stipend increase for the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISPC).

According to the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs in Calasiao, Pangasinan, around 700 senior citizens have undergone validation and evaluation to avail of the social pension.

"Malaking bagay rin yan, siyempre, sa tulad namin [na matanda na]… pa-extra na lang kahit matanda na," Rosalina Bebita, a senior citizen, said.

Meanwhile, the proposed removal of the purchase booklet as a requirement to avail of discounts on certain products earned mixed reactions.

"Kaming mga matatanda palaging nakakalimutan, kapag bibili ka ng gamot, kung walang reseta at purchase booklet, hindi ka bibigyan. Makakabili [naman] pero walang discount," Sylvia Tandoc, a senior citizen, said.

"Para malaman mo [kapag] makalimutan mo 'yung gamot na reseta, andoon na sa booklet, nakalista na doon," Lydia Serrano, another senior citizen, added.

In a statement by House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo, he described the purchase booklet as useless and an additional burden, suggesting that the senior citizen ID should be sufficient.

However, the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) sees the purchase booklet as essential in verifying legitimate senior citizens, since there are reported fake senior citizen IDs used to claim discounts.