(MANILA BULLETIN)

The national government is planning to pour an initial P3 billion worth of funds for the grant of the P10,000 cash gift to elderly Filipinos reaching the milestone ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old. 

Thus, said Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo, a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, said in a statement Wednesday, Aug. 21. 

“Based on the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the government intends to spend up to P3 billion for the initial implementation of the Expanded Centenarians Law,” Rillo said, referring to the P6.352-trillion budget measure. 

“Of the P3 billion, our rough calculation is that some P173 million will be used to pay for the P100,000 cash gift of 1,730 new centenarians, and the rest will be available to pay for the P10,000 grant of those turning 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old,” he said. 

“We would encourage all families to register their elderly members online with the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), which runs the Elderly Data Management System that will help facilitate payments of the P10,000 cash gift,” the neophyte lawmaker said. 

Rillo says the NCSC is currently working with local government units (LGUs), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), with respect to the online registration process. 

Last February, President Marcos signed into law the Expanded Centenarians Law, or Republic Act (RA) No. 11982. The new statute grants a P10,000 cash gift every five years to octogenarians and nonagenarians upon reaching the milestone ages. 

The new law provides that all Filipinos, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, upon reaching the ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95, will each receive a cash gift of P10,000. 

The grantees will be eligible to receive the cash gift within one year from reaching the milestone ages. The original Centenarian Law had only previously covered Filipinos who turned 100 years old. 

Centenarians receive P100,000 upon reaching 100, along with a congratulatory letter from the President. 

The average life expectancy in the Philippines is around 72 years, according to the United Nations.