Makati ordinances encourage seniors to keep learning

University of Makati —ARNOLD ALMACEN

Makati City residents in their 70s can still become government scholars.

Senior citizens 70 years old and above can enroll in any undergraduate or masters program of their choice at the University of Makati (UMak) without having to pay tuition, according to City Ordinance No. 2017-063, which took effect in May.

They just have to meet minimum requirements, like passing the entrance exam and presenting a certificate of good moral character and transcript of records from their previous school, along with a voter’s ID and barangay ID as proof of residency.

Under two related measures, Ordinance No. 2017-061 and 2017-068, residents aged 60 and above will receive financial incentives upon graduating from any public senior high school or UMak undergraduate or graduate program.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay on Friday cited two seniors who had graduated from the local high school and university.

In April, 78-year-old Armando Albes Sr., who has been employed at the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources for the last 25 years, finished a degree in political science at the city-run UMak.

That same month, Salvacion Nacario, 79, graduated from junior high at Fort Bonifacio High School.

“Through these these (pieces of) legislation we aim to acknowledge their contributions to society and encourage them to pursue higher education,” Binay said.