THE National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) clarified that Republic Act No. 11982 or the Expanded Centenarian Act, covers only senior citizens under the age milestones of 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old.
“It’s only 80, 85, 90, and 95. Other than that, like 81, 82, 83, and 84, they are not covered,” NSCS-Cluster 8 project development officer Angelo Pascual explained to the media during the Kapehan sa Dabaw of the Philippine Information Agency Region XI and SM City Davao on March 4, 2024.
“Kung 81 na sya magpaabot siya mo-abot og 85. Same goes kung 86 sya magpaabot napod siya og 90,” Pascual explained, addressing confusions regarding the correct age of the senior citizens who will benefit from the said law.
(If they are 81, they will wait until they reach 85 years old. The same goes for 86; they will have to wait until they get 90.)
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed RA 11982, expanding the Centenarians Law to provide P10,000 cash incentives for seniors aged 80, 85, 90, and 95, and P100,000 upon reaching 100 years old.
Pascual said that NSCS, being the lead agency, is currently fast-tracking the crafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the said law to fully implement it.
“As of now, law pa lang sya, not fully implemented, and hopefully ma-fast track ni sya by 2025,” Pascual said.
(As of now, the law is not yet fully implemented, and hopefully it will be fast tracked by 2025.)
Meanwhile, Pascual said that part of their preparations for implementing the law is their heightened online registration campaign among all senior citizens in the country through their Elderly Data Management System (EDMS).
He revealed that only around 4 million senior citizens are registered in their database out of the 9 million target to be enrolled in the system.
He revealed that many senior citizens are yet to be registered in the system, especially those who do not receive their monthly social pension.
“Most of the data right now is kasagaran katong mga social pensioners only, wala na ma-apil tong mga wala gadawat og social pension," he explained.
(Most of the data right now is mostly on social pensioners only; those not receiving social pensions are not included.)
Pascual called on the relatives and family members of senior citizens to help them register, emphasizing that the registration will not only help build a registry system for senior citizens in the country but also serve as a basis for programs of the NCSC, especially concerning RA 11982.
“Katong naa lang sa database, basically mao lang sya ang ma-apil as beneficiaries,” he said.
(Only those who are in the database are included as beneficiaries.)
Pascual said they are currently partnering with the local government units (LGU), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Social Security System (SSS), and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) to reach every senior citizen in the country and have them registered.
In Davao City, for instance, Pascual said that they have partnered with the LGU to include senior citizen registration in the array of government services offered during the Barangayan Serbisyo Publiko.
Senior citizens can register online through NCSC’s official website www.ncsc.gov.ph. There is also a video tutorial on how to navigate the system and register posted on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NCSC.Philippines.OfficialPage/.
Senior citizens are advised to visit the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) in their respective LGUs or regional offices to ask for assistance in registration. PIA DAVAO
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