MANILA, Philippines— The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has clarified that pensioners and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries are eligible to receive the government’s emergency cash subsidy.

IATF spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said pensioners and 4Ps beneficiaries are no longer required to fill up the social amelioration cards (SAC) distributed by local government units (LGUs) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

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“Ang ibig ko pong sabihin, excluded sila sa Social Amelioration Card or SAC, hindi na po sila kailangang mag-fill-up ng SAC dahil kasama po sila doon sa database ng DSWD at nabigyan na po sila ng tulong ng DSWD,” Nograles said Wednesday in a virtual briefing.

(They are excluded from filling up the Social Amelioration Card or SAC. They do not need to fill out the SAC because they are already in the database of DSWD and they have already received assistance from the agency.)

“At iyong sa indigent na senior citizens na tumatanggap ng social pension ay may paraan din ng pagbigay sa kanila mula sa DSWD,” he added.

(There is also a way for indigent senior citizens who receive social pension to receive aid from DSWD.)

Nograles made the clarification after he said that senior citizens receiving pensions are excluded from the government’s social amelioration program.

“Pensioners are not included in low-income families. The first criteria is ‘low income.’ And among the low-income families, priority is senior citizens, solo parents, etcetera,” Nograles said in an earlier briefing.

Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, 18 million low-income households will be given a subsidy to help them cope with the effects of the government’s measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The government set aside P200 billion for these families, where P5,000 to P8,000 will be distributed to beneficiaries depending on the minimum wage rates in their respective regions.