Marcos transfers senior citizens’ body to DSWD

MANILA, Philippines — To boost policies and programs for the elderly, President Marcos has transferred the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“A strong organizational link between the NCSC and DSWD must be established to further strengthen policies and programs for senior citizens, with the goal of enhancing delivery of social services and promoting the overall well-being and protection of the elderly,” Marcos’ Executive Order 96 stated.

Based on EO 96, signed for the President by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Sept. 18, the implementation, distribution and management of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) Program will continue to be under the DSWD.

The SPISC provides financial aid to eligible senior citizens to support their daily subsistence and medical needs.

EO 96 also cited Republic Act 12231, the Government Optimization Act of 2025, which authorizes the President to transfer or integrate functions from one agency to another to streamline the bureaucracy.

The NCSC was established through RA 11350 signed in 2019 to ensure full implementation of laws, policies and programs to protect the rights of senior citizens.

Under RA 11350, all DSWD functions, programs, projects and activities for the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged senior citizens shall be transferred to the NCSC, which was attached to the Office of the President.

Based on government data, there are approximately nine million senior citizens in the country.