Each time they would receive their pension, the Surio couple would buy vitamins and foods for themselves. For a short while, they feel that they are still able to support themselves.
Ninety-nine years old Fructuso Surio, Sr. and his wife Isabel, 84 years old, live with their son at Brgy San Luis, Antipolo City, Rizal. Fructuso used to be a kargador in the market and Isabel used to be a labandera.
Both Fructuso and Isabel are beneficiaries of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). However, his pension was suspended this 2014 as his name is not included in the database of poor households of the Department.
“Malaking tulong na may natatangap kami mula sa gobyerno kasi kahit papaano nakakabili kami ng pagkain at vitamins. Pero kapag walang tinatanggap na pension, wala talaga. Umaasa lang ulit kami sa anak namin at hindi naman na ako makapagtrabaho. Pero hindi pa rin sapat yung inuuwing pera ng anak ko at may pamilya rin siyang binubuhay,” shares Fructuso.
According to the report of DSWD Field Office IV-A, the suspension of subsidy or pension of Fructuso is due to the on-going special validation being conducted under the Listahanan targeting system. This special validation aims to determine and ensure that all beneficiaries of the Social Pension Program are poor or indigent and be included in the masterlist of poor families.
Fructuso and 8,303 other senior citizen-beneficiaries of the Social Pension in the CALABARZON Region alone will be visited by enumerators of the DSWD and will undergo family assessment. The said special validation is expected to be completed within June 2014 and an updated masterlist of poor families is expected to be generated before the end of the 3rd quarter of 2014.
According to Ms Gladeewyn Decena, the Listahanan focal person of DSWD IV-A, the conduct of special validation is important as it ascertains that the funds used by the government on programs and services for the poor families go to those who need it most. She also added that the special validation serves as a means for not only updating the database but also determining the errors in the process and improving the system as a whole.
“The case of Fructuso opened our eyes on areas that we need to improve or keep a keen eye on. As per initial assessment, it is quite impossible for Fructuso Surio not be in the masterlist of poor families based on the 2009 household assessment, yet his wife Isabel, whom he lived with for all his life, is included in the list. This showed us that we have to be careful in the listing of household members during assessment or in the encoding of data,” Decena added.
More than the money
“Malaking epekto po sa aming mahihirap ang magiging resulta nitong validation. Marahil doon nakasalalay yung tulong na puede pa naming matanggap,” Isabel explained when asked how she felt about the special validation being conducted.
She also added that it will be better if assistance will be directed to the ones who need it the most. The couple are optimistic that after the special validation Fructuso will be included in the list of poor families.
“Para sa aming mga mahihirap, malaking tulong po ang Php500.00 na aming tinatanggap. Pero higit pa rito, alam kong tuwing makukuha namin ang suportang ito mula sa pamahalaan, alam kong hindi ako magiging gaanong pabigat sa aking anak na maliit din lang ang kita bilang welder,” Fructuso summed up.***