Bill that makes instant millionaires out of centenarians OK'd on 3rd reading
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Here's something good to look forward to for grandma and grandpa. The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that will grant a cash gift worth P1 million to Filipino centenarians who will reach the age of 101 years old. Given final House nod during plenary session Monday afternoon, May 8 was House Bill (HB) No.7535, or the Act granting additional benefits to Filipino centenarians, recognizing octogenarians and nonagenarians, and appropriating funds therefor, amending for the purpose Republic Act (RA) No.10868, otherwise known as the Centenarians Act of 2016. Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto, who presided over the session, said 257 House members voted in the affirmative for HB No.7561 during nominal voting. There were zero negative votes and zero abstentions. The measure seeks to grant P1 million to Filipinos who reach 101 years old or centenarians, whether living here or abroad; and P25,000 to Filipinos who reach the age of 80 and 85 (octogenarians), and 90 and 95 (nonagenarians). All of them will also receive a letter of felicitation from the President of the Philippines. “With this legislation, the House of Representatives would like to honor our countrymen for their years of service to the country and for their discipline in ensuring that they live a long, healthy and fruitful life,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said. “Of course, we also want our octogenarians and nonagenarians to enjoy this benefit while they still can without having to wait until 101 years old so we also provided a cash gift for them,” added the Leyte 1st district congressman. The bill tasks the National Commission of Senior Citizens to implement the measure once passed into law. It also seeks to amend RA No.10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016, which entitles all Filipinos who reach 100 years old and above with a cash gift worth P100,000. As of 2020, two in every 100,000 Filipinos are centenarians, with the majority of them being women, according to a report by Business Mirror citing data from a United Kingdom (UK)-based care home marketplace. In a House committee hearing last year, then-Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary Erwin Tulfo told solons that there were 662 Filipino centenarians in the country.