President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the Republic Act (RA) 11982, expanding the benefits under the Centenarians Act. Under the new law, senior citizens aged 80 and older will receive a P10,000 cash gift, which will be given every five years until they reach the age of 95.
This law covers Filipinos residing in the Philippines or abroad. The previous Centenarians Act, RA 10868, granted a cash gift of P100,000 to Filipinos who reached the age of 100.
RA 11982 also establishes an Elderly Data Management System to identify eligible seniors.
The issuance of national IDs, including for seniors, is being fast-tracked to ensure they can avail of the cash grant while the database is being set up. In terms of funding for the new law, the unprogrammed funds of the 2024 General Appropriations Act will be utilized.
The implementing rules and regulations will determine whether seniors who turned 80, 85, 90, and 95 this year before the new law took effect can avail of the cash gift.
The National Commission of Senior Citizens under the Office of the President will be the lead implementing agency for RA 11982.
Source: PhilNews24 | February 27, 2024
