CEBU CITY - Distribution of payouts covering quarterly payments was reportedly not realized on Saturday, with thousands of beneficiaries of the cash assistance program for indigent taking home only PhP1,000 of the PhP3,000 they hoped to received.

Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said there has been delay in the implementation of the quarterly distribution because the city council ordinance authorizing this has yet to be reviewed by his office.

Archival confirmed that he has not yet signed the ordinance because it has to be reviewed by his office.

This was the reason why only PhP1,000 was authorized to be released to the recipients of the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens.

The social pension law grants qualified indigent senior citizens a monthly stipend of PhP1,000.

Just recently, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the lead agency tasked to implement the law, decided to release to local government units the budget the quarterly budget for the recipients to give them more expenditure leeway.

Thus, each beneficiary was supposed to get the cumulative social pension covering three months.

Last December, Quezon City also failed to distribute the quarterly pension to its indigent senior citizens on time due to the delay in the approval of the ordinance authorizing disbursement of funds for indigent elderly citizens.

The quarterly pension that was supposedly paid last December 25, was distributed to qualified beneficiaries only last February, 2026.