Senior citizens may not be aware of the many benefits due to them. A P5,000 fund per year per person aged 60 and above for blood tests, x-rays or ultrasounds at PhilHealth-accredited diagnostic centers. Discounts in power and water bills. A share in the barangay’s money for elderly needs or a seniors’ center.
These were among the benefits outlined by lawyer Franklin Quijano, chairman of the National Commission of Senior Citizens, in his talk Thursday, October 5, 2023, at the University of San Carlos main campus. He encouraged the elderly to be aware of their rights and ensure they get the benefits.
Speaking before an audience belonging to over 20 senior citizen organizations in Mandaue, Talisay and Cebu cities, Quijano addressed the need for the elderly to speak out or act when they see benefits under the law that are not being given by the agency or office responsible. The coming barangay elections can be a good way to express one’s sentiment over the barangay’s way of providing benefits, he said.
Quijano spoke on the topic “Senior voices unite: Empowering the elderly” as he outlined benefits that senior citizens may not be aware of or do not know how to access. Aside from the more known 20 percent discount on medicine, medical services, fees, public transport and restaurants, senior citizens are entitled to more benefits, such as:
Protection against age discrimination. When applying for work, the applicant may place only the birth month and date and leave the space for the year blank.
Minimum of five percent discount on monthly water and electricity bills provided that the individual meters are registered in the name of the senior citizen residing there and that the monthly consumption does not exceed 100 kWh of electricity and 30 cubic meters of water.
Social pension of P500 a month (to increase to P1,000 starting January 2024) for indigent senior citizens only, not all.
Quijano described as false information or “fake news” the claims on social media that those aged 101 will be entitled to P1 million after receiving when they turned 100 years old the amount of P100,000 they are entitled to under the Centenarians Act of 2016. He said there are over 2,000 people in the country now who are aged 100. If the claim were true, that means the government would need P2 billion for that additional benefit alone. And how about those who reach 102 years old and so on?
In his talk, he encouraged senior citizens to register at the NCSC database found at www.ncsc.gov.ph. He said he is confident the personal information in the database is secure and cannot be accessed illegally.
Some of those who attended the forum were leaders of senior citizen organizations in Cebu who were surprised to discover there were benefits and privileges they knew little of or did not know, and they appreciated Quijano’s explanations.