SENIOR citizens are urged to register on the Elderly Data Management System (EDMS) to facilitate the identification of beneficiaries under the expanded Centenarians Act, according to an official from the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC).
Angelo M. Pascual, project development officer at NCSC, said online registration is vital for the digitalization of government records and to determine beneficiaries under the expanded Centenarians Act.
Pascual stated during the Kapehan sa Dabaw on March 4, 2024, at the SM City Davao, that the current online data covers around four million seniors, and they aim to include approximately nine million to accommodate the growing senior citizen population, expected to reach 12 million by 2030.
Registering online allows both social pension recipients and non-recipients to be included in the database.
In Davao City alone, there are 176,000 senior citizens, with around 70,000 already registered online.
For elderly individuals facing challenges with online registration, assistance can be sought from the barangay or the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) if barangay support is unavailable.
Jose Enrico Patron, executive assistant at NCSC, revealed their collaboration with agencies like the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), Social Security System (SSS), and the Philippine Veterans Affairs to aid in the registration and identification of seniors turning 80, 85, 90, and 95 in 2024.
Republic Act 11982, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on February 26, 2024, provides P10,000 in compensation to individuals aged 80, 85, 90, or 95.
The amendment to the "Centenarians Act of 2016" (RA 11868) offers P100,000 in cash for those turning 100.
While the law has been enacted, the development of implementing rules and regulations is ongoing. RGP
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