Senator Leila de Lima is pushing a proposal that affords senior citizens cash incentives upon reaching the ages of 80 and 90.
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Senate Bill No. 1319 provides for a senior citizen to be given a Php 10,000 cash incentive when turning 80 years old. Another Php 10,000 will be given when reaching 90 years old.
“It is a privilege to age and celebrate the gift of life that God gave us. But as we reach old age, the decline of the senior citizens’ productive capacity exposes this sector to various vulnerabilities, and the government must be there to afford them the support they need together with their families,” De Lima said of the rationale behind the bill.
While the Philippines already has the Republic Act 10868 or Centenarians Act of 2016 instituted in law, it only provides a cash incentive for senior citizens who reach the age of 100.
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), this incentive is not often used since very few Filipinos reach the age of 100. The World Health Organization (WHO) cited the average life expectancy of a Filipino as 69.3 years old.
“Even more, unfortunately, many, if not most, of our centenarians are already too old, sickly, and impaired to properly enjoy the blessings of the Centenarian Law,” concluded De Lima.
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