(MANILA BULLETIN)

Aside from centenarians, senior citizens who turn 80, 85, 90, and 95 will now receive cash grants under a newly-signed landmark law, said Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte.

On Monday, Feb. 26, President Marcos signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11982, or the Expanded Centenarians Act. This grants P10,000 to elderly Filipinos—whether living in the country or abroad—upon reaching 80 and every five years after that.

“Seldom do Filipinos reach the age of 100, so what better way for the national government and the Congress to show our country’s appreciation for the significant contributions of our grandparents and other seniors to society during their relatively more productive years than to give them a cash windfall not only when they become centenarians but even when they turn 80, 85, 90 and 95 years old,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

Villafuerte, who is a lead author of RA No. 11982, said Filipinos that reach 100 shall continue to receive the P100,000 as provided for in the original law, embodied in RA No. 10868.

According to a 2020 census from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the total number of senior citizens in the country is at 9.22 million.
 
On Monday, President Marcos also signed the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Act, which aims to foster high quality Filipino products and services.