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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider P1-million cash for Filipinos with 101 candles on birthday cake a law soon?

P1-million cash for Filipinos with 101 candles on birthday cake a law soon?

Published Jan 20, 2022 04:22 pm

Rewarding a Filipino who reaches 101 years old with P1 million cash is among the legislative proposals that the House of Representatives aims to pass with the remaining six session days left before Congress adjourns for the campaign period early February.

HOR plenary pandemic

The House Committee on Senior Citizen Affairs has strongly endorsed passage of House Bill 10647 that retains the law granting senior citizens who reach 100 years of age a P100,000 bounty for becoming a centenarian.

However, under the bill that seeks to amend Republic ACt No. 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016, octogenarians and nonagenarians will now enjoy cash incentives for living longer than other Filipinos.

HB 10647 offers P25,000 for a Filipino who is able to celebrate his or her 80th birthday. A similar amount will be given by the government if the birthday cake will contain 85, 90 and 95 candles.

A consolidation of 29 bills authored and co-authored by over 200 House members, HB 10647 is expected to breeze through approval once calendared for plenary deliberations by the Committee on Rules.

Aside from the cash incentive, the recipient will be honored with a letter of felicitation from the President of the country each time the reward is sent by government.

Under the bill the National Commission of Senior Citizens will be the lead agency that will implement provisions of the measures once enacted into law.

Among the principal authors of the bill are Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza (Buhay Partylist); Reps. Maria Fe Abunda (Lone District, Samar); Raul “Boboy” Tupas (5th District, Iloilo); Julienne “Jam” Baronda (Lone District, Iloilo City); Diego “Nonoy C. Ty (1st District, Misamis Occidental); Ma. Lourdes T. Arroyo (5th District, Negros Occidental); Carlito Marquez (1st District, Aklan); Jocelyn Fortuno, 5th District, Camarines Sur); Mark Go (Lone District, Baguio City); Dahlia Loyola (5th District, Cavite) and the late Francisco Datol (Senior Citizens Partylist).

Arroyo, chairperson of the House Committee on Persons with Disabilities, said giving the cash gifts in advance or as the elderly citizens reaches 80 “will be of great help to them financially, as well for the enjoyment of their families.” Citing data from he Philippine Statistics Authority, Arroyo said at least 900,000 Filipinos belong to the age group of 80 years old and above.

Marquez, on the other hand, noted that with Filipinos having a life expectancy of 69.4 years, only a handful reach the centenarian age.

Out of 100 million Filipinos in the country, only 205 were able to receive the P100,000 granted under the law.

Fortuno, chairperson of the House Committee on Bicol Recovery and Economic Development, underscored the need for government to extend to Filipinos in advanced ages all the financial help it can offer to make life easier and more comfortable for them.

In the explanatory note of his bill, Datol, former chairman of the senior citizens panel, said very few Filipinos live up to 100 years, with some of them unable “to fully appreciate and enjoy the value of money and accolade.” He called for the grant of cash benefits even before a person reaches 100 years but has breached the 90 years old mark.

Datol succumbed to COVID 19 in 2020, the first congressman to die from the dreaded disease. He was 71.

Related Tags

Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza Rep. Carlito Marquez centenarian law Rep. Ma. Lourdes T. Arroyo Rep. Jocelyn Fortuno Rep. Maria Fe Abunda Senior citizens affairs
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