A post circulating on TikTok claims that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has approved a P1,500 monthly social pension for Filipino senior citizens starting July 2025. This is false.
The social pension for indigent elderly remains at P1,000 per month, and there is no recent law increasing the amount.
It was the Social Security System, not the DSWD, that announced two weeks ago a three-year pension increase starting next month for all pensioners as of August 31, 2025.
Published on Aug.1, the erroneous video is similar to earlier posts that circulated on Facebook last July. It features a supposed article accompanied by a photo of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The recent video included an overlaid text that read:
“DSWD APPROVES MONTHLY ₱1,500 MONTHLY SOCIAL PENSION FOR FILIPINO SENIOR CITIZENS STARTING JULY, 2025.
Sana totoo na ito…
DSWD APPROVES ₱1,500 Para sa mga lolo at lola”
The caption of the post states: “Good news for all seniors”
In a statement on July 10, the DSWD dismissed the claim as “fake news,” noting that any increase in the pension would require the passage of a new law.
“The monthly social pension for indigent senior citizens remains at P1,000 per beneficiary as mandated by Republic Act No. 11916 (An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens),” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.
“A new law must be passed before any increase can be implemented. If there are changes, the DSWD will announce them through its official communication channels,” she added.
The agency clarified that the P1,000 monthly aid under the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens program is available only to qualified indigent seniors aged 60 and above who are frail, sickly, or living with a disability, and who have no regular source of income, pension or support from family members.
In the same statement, the DSWD urged the public to rely on its official website and social media pages for accurate and up-to-date information.
A closer look at the incorrect video shows that the supposed article was sourced from an unreliable website. Posted by TikTok user Judith Calades0427, the video has so far garnered 315,000 views, 5670 reactions, 1168 comments, and 745 shares.
