FACT CHECK: DSWD not offering cash aid to senior citizens through Facebook

The social welfare department does not process applications for its programs through social media; additionally, only eligible senior citizens qualify for select cash aid initiatives

AT A GLANCE

• The claim that the DSWD is providing cash aid of P6,000 to P10,000 for all senior citizens is false and originated from a misleading Facebook post.
• The DSWD currently administers a Social Pension Program that provides indigent senior citizens with a fixed monthly stipend of P1,000, not the amounts claimed in the post.
• The Facebook page that shared the claim is not an official DSWD page, and the post includes suspicious links unrelated to the claim.

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Claim: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is providing cash aid ranging from P6,000 to P10,000 for senior citizens, with applications processed by messaging a Facebook page.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page named “it’s queen” posted the claim on August 18.

The post featured a graphic bearing the DSWD name and a logo resembling the department’s official logo, alongside text reading, “Apply po today… Mag-message sa amin ngayon (Apply today… Message us now).”

According to the post, DSWD’s senior citizen grants for 2026 provide P6,000 to those aged 60 to 70, P8,000 to those aged 71 to 80, and P10,000 to those aged 81 and above. The post also included a series of links.

As of writing, the post has garnered 1,300 reactions, 3,400 comments, and 230 shares, and it continues to circulate online.

The facts: The announcement is fake. There are no official announcements from the DSWD regarding such grants for 2026.

Currently, the social welfare department administers the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens. The program aims to improve the living conditions of eligible indigent senior citizens and help them meet their basic needs for food, medicine, and other expenses. 

Contrary to the claim, indigent senior citizens are entitled to a fixed monthly stipend of P1,000, pursuant to Republic Act 11916 which doubled the monthly social pension for indigent seniors from P500 to P1,000. 

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao explained that eligible beneficiaries must be 60 years old and above, with disability or sickly, are not receiving any pension, and do not have a regular source of income or financial support from family members.

The social welfare department identifies eligible seniors through Community-Based Monitoring System data, and releases the funds to local government units for faster and more efficient distribution of stipends.

Meanwhile, the government also provides aid to eligible senior citizens under Republic Act 11982 or the Expanded Centenarians Act, which grants one-time cash grants to Filipinos at specific age milestones: P10,000 at ages 80, 85, 90, and 95, and P100,000 alongside a presidential felicitation letter upon turning 100 years old.

The National Commission of Senior Citizens facilitates the application and registration process for eligible senior citizens. For this program, applicants must complete an application form online or through baranggay offices, submit it, and then wait for the validation and cross-referencing before claiming the cash grant.

Suspicious page and links: The page that shared the claim is not an official Facebook page of DSWD or any affiliated agency. The logo used in the publication material is also not the current official logo of DSWD.

A closer look at the page, which only has four followers, reveals several other posts containing similar claims paired with identical captions and links.

The misleading post provided no further official information in its caption. Instead, it included suspicious external links that redirect users to a remote jobs news website, which is entirely unrelated to the claim. 

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked several false claims regarding alleged cash payouts and application processes for DSWD assistance programs. – Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com

Lyndee Buenagua is a senior student journalist and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.

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