WILLEMSTAD – The government has decided to provide a 350-guilder bonus to pensioners earning less than 1,100 guilders per month. The measure, which also applies to widows and orphans of the General Pension Fund of Curaçao (APC), will be financed by unexpected extra revenue. Minister of Finance, Javier Silvania (MFK), emphasized that the bonus is primarily aimed at supporting the most vulnerable groups in society, such as the elderly and people with disabilities.
“Solidarity is essential for a society that is committed to helping the disadvantaged,” said Silvania in a statement. “With this bonus, we want to support those most affected by the economic situation.” However, the decision has sparked some controversy.
In response to comments from journalist Angelo Virginie on Radio Hoyer, which Silvania answered in writing, the minister stated that the bonus does not offer a structural solution to the increasing AOV (Old Age Pension) benefits.
“The bonus will be paid from the SOAW budget, which has already been approved by Parliament, but we continue to work on long-term solutions, such as increasing the AOV and indexing the APC pensions,” said Silvania. He also noted that the government is working on a bill to speed up pension indexing, which could potentially provide relief for APC pensioners in the future.
According to Silvania, it remains uncertain whether these measures will be sufficient to address the long-term financial challenges faced by retirees. For 2025, the government has allocated 8 million guilders to increase the AOV, but the minister pointed out that this is just a step in a larger process aimed at providing better support for low-income pensioners.