President Marcos announced that indigent senior citizens in the country will receive a P1,000 allowance from the government “to supplement their daily living and medical expenses.”
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and senior citizens (Malacañang/MANILA BULLETIN)
In “The President’s Budget Message” for the fiscal year 2025 posted on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website, the Chief Executive underscored the need to assist senior citizens.
The allowance was not only approved to acknowledge the “moral imperative” of caring for the country’s elderly, “but as a reflection of our nation's values and commitment to an inclusive society,” Marcos said.
Under the proposed 2025 national budget, the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens will receive a total budget of P49.8 billion for 4,085,066 indigent senior citizens.
This will equal to a monthly allowance of P1,000 per senior citizen.
Marcos also announced that a total of P3 billion would be allocated to fund the P100,000 cash gift of Filipinos who reached the age of 100 under the expanded Centenarian Act, or Republic Act No. 11982.
There would also be an additional P10,000 cash gift for all Filipinos aged 80, 85, 90, and 95, the President said.
Various public service announcements posted by different local government units (LGUs) on their Facebook pages showed that senior citizens are being invited to register via the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) website.
Some barangays and municipalities also scheduled a registration day onsite to help senior citizens register on the website.
The registration would ask for personal information, economic profile, health condition, and skill set identification.