THE National Commission of Senior Citizens–Davao Region (NCSC-Davao) said it will start distributing the first-quarter cash gift for 2026 to nearly 4,000 beneficiaries under the Expanded Centenarians Act (ECA).
Filbert Bryan Sollesta, project development officer of NCSC-Davao, said that a total of 3,742 beneficiaries will receive the cash gift. He said that the program is not an “ayuda” but a recognition of the contributions of senior citizens to nation-building and their communities.
Of the total number of beneficiaries, males comprise 1,367 and 2,375 females for the first batch.
By area, Davao City has 971 beneficiaries; Davao de Oro has 605; Davao del Norte has 811; Davao Oriental has 505; Davao del Sur has 674; and Davao Occidental has 176.
Sollesta advised beneficiaries to submit a photocopy of their Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) ID with their signature or thumbmark affixed three times during distribution to claim their cash gifts.
Meanwhile, those who could not appear personally during the distribution may authorize a representative to claim the cash gift on their behalf. The representative must present an NCSC-templated authorization letter, a medical certificate and whole-body photo of the beneficiary with the current month’s calendar, and photocopies of both the representative’s and the beneficiary’s IDs with three specimen signatures or thumb marks.
He also clarified that if the beneficiary has died before the distribution of the cash gift, the heirs may still process the claim through a representative.
“It’s a cash gift, and we hope na magamit gyud nila sa ilang pampalipay, pampagwapa, or probably to fulfill kung unsay gusto nila gyud na mapalit (It’s a cash gift, and we hope they can truly use it for their enjoyment, for self-care or beautification, or perhaps to fulfill something they have long wanted to buy),” he said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw, on Monday, March 9, 2026, at SM City Davao.
Sollesta then encouraged families to ensure the cash gift is used for the benefit of the senior citizen.
To recall, NCSC-Davao reported that approximately 13,247 senior citizens received financial benefits in 2025. The total cash distributed amounted to about P139 million, significantly higher than the 4,234 seniors assisted in 2024.
Of the 2025 beneficiaries, 4,606 were men, and 8,641 were women. The office noted that the proportion of female beneficiaries increases in the older age brackets.
The Expanded Centenarians Act grants benefits to octogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians, amending Republic Act No. 10868, or the Centenarians Act of 2016.
Under the law, beneficiaries receive ₱100,000 upon turning 100 years old, and ₱10,000 when they reach the ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95. RGP