Manila Sixth District Representative Benny Abante, Jr. proposed on Friday, Sept. 29, to lower the age of senior citizens who are qualified to get cash rewards.
During the Manila City Hall Reporters Association (MACHRA) "Balitaan sa Harbor View" forum, Abante said that he is proposing to lower the qualifying age of senior citizens from 101 years old to 70 years old for the cash reward.
Prior to Abante's proposal, those who reach 101 years old are the only ones qualified to get P100,000 from the government.
He suggested that the amount of cash reward should vary based on the beneficiary's age, which he proposed to start at 70 years old.
"When they reach 70 years old, give 70,000; when they reach 80 years old, 80,000; when they reach 90 years old, 90,000. I believe our senior citizens ought to be rewarded for what they did for the nation and their families in the past. This is not a subsidy or ayuda but a reward for them," Abante said.
He said he wants the senior citizens to get the most out of their cash rewards from the government at the age of 70 when they can still use and enjoy their incentives.
"Kasi 'yung P100,000 parang ayaw pang ibigay eh. Ilan ba rito ang inaabot ng 101 years old? (It seems they do not want to give the P100,000). How many of them reach 101 years old?," he expressed.
He also urged the increase of cash reward to P1 million for centenarians.
If Abante's proposal gets passed into law, senior citizens will no longer have to wait until they reach the age of 101 to get cash rewards.
In order for senior citizens to be qualified for the cash rewards, a card duly issued by the Office of Senior Citizens' Affairs (OSCA) should be presented.
The city government said OSCA is authorized to issue identification cards to their respective senior residents.
He said he is also pushing for the removal of value-added tax for senior citizen motorists when they gas up and when paying rent.