Organizations demand $1,000 emergency payment for pensioners amid rising cost of living
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
The organization Construyamos Otro Acuerdo (COA; in English, Let’s Build Another Agreement), along with representatives from labor and human rights groups, demanded on Wednesday that the island government immediately implement $1,000 in emergency relief for all pensioners as a measure to address the sustained increase in the cost of living and the lack of adjustments to pensions.
Pensioners from Aguas Buenas, Carolina, Caguas, Cidra, Corozal, San Juan, Ponce, Isabela, Juana Díaz and Yauco were present at the press conference in San Juan in a show of solidarity.
“The cost of living keeps rising, but our pensions remain stagnant. After a lifetime of work and dedication, it is neither fair nor humane that we have to return to the workforce out of necessity,” COA spokesperson Myra Rivera said in a written statement. “In recent weeks, the government has promoted job fairs aimed at retirees, as if the solution were to put those who have already dedicated their lives to service back to work. We are people facing health conditions, physical limitations, and the burden of age. Urging us to return to work is not a policy of support: it is a sign of institutional abandonment.”
The complaint comes at a time marked by the federal government shutdown, which appeared to be close to ending this week but has threatened to disrupt the distribution of funds from the Nutritional Assistance Program, known locally as PAN by its acronym in Spanish, in Puerto Rico. More than 1.3 million people could see their access to food affected, including thousands of pensioners and seniors who depend on the program to survive.
“We have gone more than 18 years without pension increases, and the Debt Adjustment Plan imposes an additional decade without review or adjustment,” said Ramón Santiago, another COA spokesperson. “In that same period, the cost of living has increased by more than 35 percent, and now we also face a government shutdown that puts many people’s access to food at risk. This reality is not only unjust: it is unsustainable.”
Inflation is compounded by increases in the costs of electricity, food, medicine and essential services, which directly impact pensioners, the groups pointed out. According to a study by the Chamber of Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution, the average cost of a household’s basic monthly food budget in 2025 will reach $509, not including essential expenses such as utilities, medicine, transportation or housing. Currently, more than 49,000 pensioners in Puerto Rico receive less than that amount per month.
“We are not asking for charity; this is not a bonus or an incentive. It is urgent relief so we can survive,” said Mayra Muñoz, president of UAW International Union Local 1850. “We are asking for justice. Those who are now retired sustained this country for decades: in schools, hospitals, agencies, and municipalities. And now they face old age with anguish, counting pennies to cover the basics. Guaranteeing a dignified retirement is not a privilege; it is a human right that the government has a moral and legal obligation to protect.”
The organizations warned that the combination of the federal government shutdown, the lack of local public policy to protect retirees, and persistent inflation is deepening food insecurity and forcing many older adults to rely on family members or community networks to survive.
“Guaranteeing a retirement isn’t a gesture of compassion; it’s a national decision and an act of intergenerational justice,” Rivera added. “A government that doesn’t take care of those who sustained it puts its own future at risk.”
The COA urged the government to take immediate action. The proposed $1,000 emergency relief payment, it said, represents a minimal, concrete and humane measure to immediately address the crisis faced by retirees while permanent mechanisms for economic justice are established.
The organizations said they will hold a meeting with the Office of the Office of the Governor today to follow up on the issue. During the meeting, they expect to receive information on the implementation and financing of the proposed relief.
It was uncertain at press time whether the groups would have an audience with Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, who was to be out of Puerto Rico from noon Wednesday until this morning in order to participate as the keynote speaker in a forum organized by Florida International University and the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom.