Marcos signs law granting P10,000 to Filipinos turning 80, 85, 90, 95

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed a law that grants P10,000 to Filipinos upon reaching 80, 85, 90, and 95 years old.

Republic Act No. 11982 is an expansion of RA 10868 or the Centenarian Law, which grants P100,000 to Filipinos who turn 100, whether they’re in the Philippines or abroad.

The new measure also creates a database to identify all eligible senior citizens.

“The expansion of the coverage of the Centenarians Act is a homage to the Filipino trait of compassion,” Marcos said in his speech during a signing ceremony in Malacañang. “In our culture, none are showered with more kind and loving care than our elderly.”

“There were already close to 10 million seniors two years ago… But as this demographic enlarges, the societal facilities that attend to them should be expanded as well,” he continued.

Funding for RA 11982 would come from the unprogrammed funds of the national budget for 2024, Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes said.

“Use of the Unprogrammed Funds or savings can be justified because the law is new, and the amount needed would not be huge because the numbers of seniors turning 80, 85, 90, and 95 this year would not be too many to be unaffordable,” Ordanes said.

Ordanes added that the implementing rules and regulations should clarify whether the new law would consider those who reached the required ages before it took effect.