THE GOVERNMENT has allocated P3.44 billion to fund the P10,000 cash gifts for qualified octogenarians and nonagenarians, as well as the P100,000 cash gifts for centenarians, in 2027, House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan said Sunday.
“The P3.44 billion allocation for the cash gifts under the Expanded Centenarians Act in the proposed 2027 national budget is P140 million higher than the P3.3 billion earmarked for the same purpose under the 2026 General Appropriations Act,” Libanan said.
Libanan urged families to register their elderly members aged 60 and above with the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) to facilitate their access to the cash benefits.
“We encourage all households to register their elderly members online with the NCSC through the Elderly Database Management System so they can readily avail themselves of the cash gifts,” Libanan said.
Libanan issued the statement as the country observes National Respect for Centenarians Day.
Republic Act No. 10868, or the Centenarians Act of 2016, declares the first Sunday of October as National Respect for Centenarians Day as part of Elderly Filipino Week, observed from October 1 to 7.
“We in Congress are absolutely determined to provide the necessary funding to sustain the payment of cash gifts due to every qualified elderly Filipino, as mandated by the Expanded Centenarians Act,” Libanan said.
The NCSC recently began the mass physical distribution of the P10,000 cash gifts to qualified elderly Filipinos who have reached the milestone ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95, as well as the P100,000 cash gifts for centenarians under the Expanded Centenarians Act of 2024, or Republic Act No. 11982.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had previously directed the NCSC to promptly address delays in the release of the cash gifts.
The NCSC said it would work with local government units to expedite the physical distribution of the cash benefits to qualified beneficiaries.
As of August 26, the NCSC said it had paid out more than P1.9 billion to 179,529 octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians.
The payouts covered 95,464 beneficiaries aged 80; 54,464 aged 85; 22,682 aged 90; 6,052 aged 95; and 1,240 centenarians.
Under the Expanded Centenarians Act, Filipinos who reach the ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95 are entitled to a P10,000 cash gift at each milestone, while those who reach the age of 100 are entitled to a P100,000 cash gift and a letter of felicitation from the President.
