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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Legarda pushes for P1-K medication stipend for senior citizens

Legarda pushes for P1-K medication stipend for senior citizens

Published Sep 12, 2025 02:27 pm

At A Glance

  • In filing Senate Bill No. 164, or An Act Providing Monthly Maintenance Medication Support for Senior Citizens, Sen. Loren Legarda said it is important for the government to help elderly citizens of the country alleviate their health burdens by helping them have access to affordable healthcare.


Senator Loren Legarda is now pushing for a bill providing P1,000 monthly stipend for senior citizens to help them in purchasing maintenance medications.

In filing Senate Bill No. 164, or An Act Providing Monthly Maintenance Medication Support for Senior Citizens, Legarda said it is important for the government to help elderly citizens of the country alleviate their health burdens by helping them have access to affordable healthcare.

“We are alleviating the burden of our senior citizens by helping them manage these debilitating diseases as they get older,” Legarda explained.

“This is to fulfill the government's mandate to ensure that senior citizens have access to affordable healthcare, including the medications necessary for maintaining their health and well-being,” she added.

She pointed out that the discounts offered under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 for the purchase of medicines might not be enough for many senior citizens.

Thus, the proposed law seeks the provision of a monthly maintenance medication support card that will be issued to beneficiaries, which cannot be transferable or convertible to cash.

The senator said senior citizens with a valid prescription issued within the last six months will be eligible to receive the stipend.

She said any individual who will be committing a fraud and abuse the program will be penalized under existing laws.

“This is to pay homage to those who have toiled and paved the road for all of us; this is a small token of recognition,” the lawmaker stressed.

“We are here to affirm the State's promise to take care of our senior citizens, helping make sure no one is left behind,” she reiterated.

Related Tags

Loren Legarda Senior citizens Expanded Senior Citizens Act
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