Revilla bats for age 56 as start of senior citizenship
SEN. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. wants to lower the senior citizenship age from 60 to 56.
Revilla, principal author of the newly signed Expanded Centenarian Law, said that there was a need to lower the threshold age for senior citizens because of the low life expectancy of Filipinos, aside from the fact that many Filipinos already take maintenance medicines at the age of 40 and even lower.
He proposed that part of the conditions for lowering to 56 the age to be legally considered a senior citizen is the enjoyment of at least a 10 percent discount for food and medicines, among others.
Revilla said that he wants to get the overall sentiment of the people on the matter before filing the measure.
The senator, together with the cast of the sitcom “Walang Matulis na Pulis sa Matinik na Masis,” was in Baguio City to promote the weekly show atop GMA Network’s float, which was one of the competing floats during the grand floral parade of the 28th edition of Baguio’s Panagbenga flower festival.
He assured concerned sectors that the Senate would conduct public hearings on the said proposal to elicit various proposals from the people to enhance the provisions of the bill so that more Filipinos would be able to benefit from its implementation in the future.
‘Revilla Law’
The Amended Centenarians Act, also called the “Revilla Law,” aims to provide P10,000 cash benefits to elderly Filipinos at an earlier age so that they can enjoy their lives more.
Revilla lauded the President for signing his proposed law that grants cash benefits to Filipino octogenarians and nonagenarians, apart from centenarians.
Under Republic Act 11982 or the “Revilla Law,” all Filipinos reaching the ages of 80, 85, 90 and 95 should receive a cash gift amounting to P10,000, while those reaching the age of 100 should receive P100,000.
“This was my promise to the elderly Filipinos, and I’m proud to say that I fulfilled it,” Revilla said.
It was the first measure he filed in the 19th Congress. He first filed the measure during the start of the 18th Congress in 2019.
“Now, after a long and arduous battle for the welfare of our lolos (grandfathers) and lolas (grandmothers), it is with beaming pride [that I say] that we have won the fight,” Revilla said.
To effectively implement the law, he said an Elderly Data Management System should be maintained by the National Commission on Senior Citizens.
“This is to assure the public that all qualified beneficiaries shall receive the benefits they are entitled to receive,” Revilla said.
“With all the things our elderly have done for our country, we should assure them that they will receive all the honor and benefits they deserve,” he added.