Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Office)
MANILA, Philippines — Elderly Filipinos aged 80, 85, 90, and 95 will have to wait until next year to receive a P10,000 cash gift each from the government.
Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. said this on Monday after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had signed into law a bill amending the Centenarian Act.
The amended law will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette, according to the senator.
“That’s what’s important — that it would be published in the Official Gazette, and as for the budget for this, it’s not yet allocated for 2024,” Revilla, the principal author of the bill, told reporters in Filipino in a press briefing.
“What’s important now is for our grandparents to register at OSCA — the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs.”
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Asked if this meant that those covered by the new law could yet enjoy its benefits this year, Revilla reiterated there was no funding yet for this purpose.
“It’s not included in the 2024 budget. So it’s important for them to register with OSCA,” he said.
“What will happen is that those celebrating their birthdays at 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100, it’s important for them to register, and the government owes them the money. They will be paid next year.”
Persons who reach the age of 100 will continue to receive P100,000, he added.
According to Revilla, around 194,000 seniors are expected to receive the cash gifts.
As of July 2022, the breakdown of seniors by age are as follows:
- 103,348 are aged 80
- 57,304 are aged 85
- 24,751 are aged 90
- 6,209 are aged 95
- 2,500 are aged 100
The data is based on government records shared by the Revilla’s office.
Funding needed to pay the elderly is P2.2 billion, he said.
“So, it’s not that big of an amount for us to give as a bonus to our grandmothers and grandfathers,” he said.