Cash incentives for 7.5M elderly sought in Congress

ALAWMAKER on Sunday would ask Congress to include in its priority measures the passage of a bill providing cash incentives to senior citizens.

Ang Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred de los Santos said his bill is seeking to amend the Centenarian Act of 2016 in a bid to “expand and extend to more of our elders the benefits from the Centenarian Act.”

Citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the lawmaker said the number of senior citizens in the country has been increasing over the past decades despite the fact that the Philippines remains a young population, with median age hitting 23 years old in 2010.

De los Santos said the PSA data showed that the number of senior citizens, however, has been steadily moving up, reaching 7.55 million in 2015 from 4.57 million in 2000, or an increase of 65 percent.

The lawmaker said the Filipinos aged 70 and over, account for 38 percent of all senior citizens. To note, the oldest voter in the Philippines is 90 years old, according to news reports.

De los Santos said “the amendment to the Centenarian Act would allow more of our senior citizens to benefit from the assistance provided under the law,” de los Santos said.

“The monetary aid would alleviate some hardships of our elders in the short term by allowing them to purchase maintenance medicines and other needs particularly in the midst of a health crisis,” he added.

In House Bill 4067, the partylist lawmaker is pushing to give in advance the P100,000 cash gift to Filipino seniors who will reach the 100 years old to allow them to enjoy the benefits under the law.

According to his proposal, distribution of cash gifts should be given in advance as follows: P25,000 upon reaching 70 years old; P25,000 upon reaching 80 years old; P25,000 upon reaching 90 years old; and P25,000 together with a letter of felicitation upon reaching 100 years old.

De los Santos’s proposal is now part of the consolidated House bills seeking to amend the Centenarian Act, which advances the distribution of P25,000 cash benefit at the age of 80 and every five years thereafter, and another P100,000 when the senior citizen reaches 100 years old.

“The just and humane society that we as a people envision in the Constitution is one which takes care of their elderly and values their dignity as persons. This bill is a step towards that direction,” de los Santos said.

Currently, there are 21 pending measures seeking to amend the Centenarian Act. Congress resumes session this month.