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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 662 centenarians waitlisted for P100k cash gift; no budget allocated

662 centenarians waitlisted for P100k cash gift; no budget allocated

Published Sep 6, 2022 03:09 pm

There are 662 centenarians–or Filipinos over the age of 100–who have been waitlisted from receiving their P100,000 cash gift under the Centenarians Act or Republic Act (RA) 10868, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) told the House Committee on Appropriations.

Senior citizens (MB File Photo)

Moreover, it was revealed during the committee hearing Tuesday, Sept. 6 that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has not yet granted funds for the waitlisted seniors, who by themselves are eligible to receive P66.2 million.

Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman quizzed DSWD Sec. Erwin Tulfo about the waitlisted beneficiaries and urged the agency to expedite the distribution of the cash gift, given the age of the recipients.

“Those waitlisted centenarians cannot wait because by the time you grant them the benefits they have been looking for, baka (maybe) they are not here with us anymore. I would suggest that you should not wait for the enactment of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 in order to fund the requirements for the 662,” Lagman said during the budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

“I would suggest that you please look at the President’s Contingent Fund, baka makakuha kayo doon ng pondo para hindi na gaano maghihintay itong mga centenarians (maybe you can get funds from that so that the centenarians won’t have to wait so long),” he continued.

In response, Tulfo said that he had noticed the deficiency when he assumed his post, and told an anecdote about a 103-year-old beneficiary who had visited him.

“When I came in two months ago, I noticed that may mga problema tayo (we had problems)...Nasilip ko na po ang centenarian program at may problema, meron po tayong waitlisted alam ko po na di na po pwede mag-antay itong mga ito (I checked the centenarian program and noticed a problem. There were waitlisted beneficiaries and I know that they cannot wait for long),” Tulfo said in response to Lagman.

“As a matter of fact, two weeks after ako ma-upo, meron pong 103-year-old lola na pumunta sa aking opisina, mabuti naman po at maawa ang panginoong diyos buhay pa po sya. Ipinabigay ko na agad yung P100,000 niya kasi baka hindi na niya mabalikan (two weeks after I took the DSWD post, a 103-year-old grandmother came to my office, thankfully she is still with us. I gave her the P100,000 right away because she might not have come back for it),” he told the House panel.

The DSWD chief then said that the DBM hadn’t granted funds for the centenarian program. “Nirequest na po namin ito sa DBM pero hindi po na-grant. We have already informed them na may 662 centenarians na waitlisted (We requested this from DBM but it was not granted).”

Lagman is a principal author of the Centenarian Act of 2016. Aside from a P100,000 cash gift to centenarians, the measure also mandates a National Respect For Centenarians Day which is scheduled for the first Sunday of October during annual Elderly Filipino Week from Oct. 1 to 7.

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Erwin Tulfo DSWD
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