ILOILO City – It literally pays to grow old in Western Visayas.
Thirty-three senior citizens who have reached the age of 100 will each receive today P100,000 cash incentive from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6.
The giving out of the incentives is the highlight of today’s celebration of the 23rd Elderly Filipino Week, according to Judith Tanate-Barredo, DSWD-6 focal person on Social Pension and the Elderly Sector.
“Our 33 recipients turned 100 years old this year between January to Sept. 30,” said Barredo.
They were part of the 183 centenarians that registered with DSWD-6 this year; the 150 received their cash incentives much earlier, she added.
Under Republic Act 10868 (Centenarians Act of 2016) Filipinos who reach the age of 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, shall be honored with:
* a letter of felicitation from the President of the Philippines congratulating the celebrator for his or her longevity;
* a cash gift of P100,000
As part of the annual Elderly Filipino Week (Oct. 1 to 7), the first Sunday of October is being observed as National Respect for Centenarians Day.
All centenarians in the current fiscal year shall be awarded a plaque of recognition and a cash incentive by their respective city or municipal governments in appropriate ceremonies in addition to the letter of felicitation and centenarian gift mandated by the Centenarians Act of 2016.
It is also the local government unit concerned that shall determine the amount of incentive.
In Iloilo City, Mayor Jose Espinosa III wants senior citizens here to start receiving portions of the city government-approved P50,000 centenarian incentive at the age of 90 years old.
He made the announcement of adjusting the incentive during the Pag-ulikid or care program in barangays Balabago and Tacas in Jaro district recently.
Espinosa proposed that 90-year-old seniors will receive P10,000; an additional P15,000 for the 95 years old, and P25,000 for those who are 100 years old.
The amount will be taken from the city government’s Senior Citizen’s Fund.
The City Mayor’s Office Administrative Services Division will process the release and awarding of cash incentive to qualified beneficiaries.
On the other hand, DSWD-6 also launched “Sapupo Program” during the weeklong celebration of Elderly Week.
Sapupo stands for ‘System Accounting Older Person: Understanding their Plight, Outreaching their Needs.”
The launching was participated by the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines (FSCAB), Regional Coordinating and Management Board (RCMB), Academe specifically University of Iloilo and Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U).
The program aims to profile senior citizens and this southern city is the pilot area.
“We came up with the system in coordination with DICT and participated by the academe, specifically the University of Iloilo and ISAT-U as well as the Regional Information Technology Management Unit,” Barredo said. (With a report from Iloilo City PIO/PN)
