The national government plans to spend at least P3-billion to finance the P10,000 cash gifts intended for elderly Filipinos based on the 2025 National Expenditure Program for the initial implementation of the Expanded Centenarians Law.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo said P173-million out of the said budget is allocated for the P100,000 cash gift of 1,730 new centenarians or those who reached 100. The rest will be used to fund the P10,000 grant for those turning 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old.
“Based on the 2025 National Expenditure Program, the government intends to spend up to P3 billion for the initial implementation of the Expanded Centenarians Law,” Rillo, a member of the House committee on appropriations, said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We would encourage all families to register their elderly members online with the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), which runs the Elderly Data Management System that will help facilitate payments of the P10,000 cash gift,” said Rillo.
Rillo, a member of the House appropriations committee, said the NCSC is currently working with local government units and relevant government agencies with respect to the online registration process.
Last February, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed into law the Expanded Centenarians Law, or Republic Act No. 11982, which grants a P10,000 cash gift every five years to octogenarians and nonagenarians upon reaching the milestone ages.
The new law provides that all Filipinos, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, are eligible to receive the P10,000 cash gift every five years upon reaching the milestone ages starting at 80 years old.
The original Centenarian Law had only previously covered Filipinos who turned 100 years old. They are gifted P100,000 upon reaching 100, along with a congratulatory letter from the President. The average life expectancy in the Philippines is around 72 years, according to the United Nations.
