Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

ETEENTH (19th) CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 300

Introduced by HONORABLE LORETO “AMBEN” S. AMANTE
Third (3rd) Legislative District, Province of Laguna

AN ACT
TO AMEND REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10868
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CENTENARIANS ACT OF 2016
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

& ablanatory Note

An immemorial aphorism is articulated, in the vernacular, as “Aanhin pa ang
damo kung patay na ang kabayo”. Undoubtedly praiseworthy of our Congress is the
monumental passage of Republic Act No. 10868 or otherwise known as the
“Centenarians Act of 2016". Certainly, this Act wholeheartedly illuminated the
Constitutional mandate of providing just programs on social security for the elderly
population of our society.

Nevertheless, while this Act is primarily contemplated to honor or pay tribute to
our centenarians for longevity, it shall further strengthen our Constitutional commitment
to provide adequate social services and improved quality of life to our elders if and
when such law will benefit more of our senior citizens, amidst their stage of life needing
the most of the blessings of the law.

It is in this light that the undersigned intends to amend the prevailing law by
providing staggered manner of benefit availment, owing to the fact that since the
implementation commencement of the current law, the allocated budget as per the
annual GAA remained in excess of actual recipients. Likewise, due consideration on
refraining from any significant budget increase was also taken into account in this
proposed bill, given the present national economic position due to the continuing health
emergency, the prayed culmination of which stil lingered beyond sight.

Regrettably, the country’s life expectancy range, at the present time, is at an
alarming state whereby available data would evince that an average Filipino residing in
the country has a lifespan of only 69.3 years’ or 71.23 years?, And at such age, it may
be safely envisioned that most of our elders are already enduring certain health
complications. Further, factual evaluation of our annual GAA® earmarked for the
implementation of the 2016 Centenarians Act plainly manifested considerable budgetary
excess which can be utilized well to amplify the benefits of the law in favor of other age

‘http “www. who.jntigho/countries/phi/en/;

2 datacatalog.worldbank org; https://knoema.com/atlas/Philippines/topics/Demographics/Age/ife-expectancy-at-birth
3 p.94, Vol.1B, GAA, 2017; p. 13, Vol.1B, GAA, 2018; p. 329, Vol.18, GAA, 2019; p.84, Vol.1B, GAA, 2020; p. 309,
Vol.18, GAA, 2021; and p. 295, Vol.1B, GAA, 2022;


brackets. Thus, the proposed bill seeks to diffuse the P100,000.00 Cash Gift devoted to
each of our centenarian by relatively reducing it into P50,000.00 while extending such
monetary benefit to those reaching Seventy (70) years old by granting each of them
P10,000.00, and to those reaching Eighty (80) and Ninety (90) years old, respectively,
by granting each of them P20,000.00.

Indisputably, the scheduled amounts in the proposed bill would not endure
throughout the next availment, given the 10-year gap for every prescribed monetary
benefit, but the emphatic value of which, most especially to the ailing or underprivileged
sector of our elderly population, would be worthy enough to augment their pecuniary or
medical needs. Stated differently, it may not be sufficiently enough, but clearly an
apparent step of determined assertion that the Government cares.

Foregoing premises considered, the approval of this proposed measure is hereby

most solemnly sought.
ETO “AMBEN" S. AMANTE


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH (19th) CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 300

Introduced by HONORABLE LORETO “AMBEN” S, AMANTE
Third (3rd) Legislative District, Province of Laguna

Be it
Congr

SECTION 1.

AN ACT
TO AMEND REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10868
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CENTENARIANS ACT OF 2016
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in

assembled:

follows:

“Sec. 2. Letter of Felicitation and Cash Gift.- All Filipinos who reach
the age of SEVENTY (70), EIGHTY (80) , NINETY (90) AND one
hundred (100) years old, whether residing in the Philippines or
abroad, shall be honored with:

(a) A Letter of Felicitation from the President of the Philippines
congratulating the celebrant for his or her longevity UPON
REACHING THE AGE OF ONE HUNDRED (100) YEARS
OLD; and

(b) A [Centenarian] CASH Gift in the amount of TEN
THOUSAND PESOS (P 10,000.00) UPON REACHING THE
AGE OF SEVENTY (70) YEARS OLD; TWENTY THOUSAND
PESOS (P 20,000.00) UPON REACHING THE AGE OF EIGHTY
(80) YEARS OLD; TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P 20,000.00)
UPON REACHING THE AGE OF NINETY (90) YEARS OLD
AND [one hundred] FIFTY thousand pesos [P100,000.00] (P
50,000.00) UPON REACHING THE AGE OF ONE HUNDRED
(100) YEARS OLD.

PROVIDED, THAT ALL QUALIFIED FILIPINOS WHO
HAVE REACHED THE AGE OF SEVENTY (70), EIGHTY (80)
AND NINETY (90) YEARS OLD PRIOR TO THE
EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT SHALL LIKEWISE RECEIVE
THE CORRESPONDING CASH GIFT/S PROVIDED ABOVE.”

Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10868 is hereby amended to read as


SECTION 2. A new section denominated as Section 5 of the same Act is hereby
added to read as follows:

“SEC. 5. LEAD IMPLEMENTING AGENCY.- THE NATIONAL
COMMISSION OF SENIOR CITIZENS (NCSC) SHALL
IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT.”

SECTION 3. Section 5 of the same Act is hereby renumbered as Section 6 and
hereby amended to read as follows:

“SEC. [5] 6. Funding. - [During the initial year of the implementation
of this Act, the requisite fund shall be sourced from the available
funds of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
and subsequently] The amount necessary to implement the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.”

SECTION 4. Section 6 of the same Act is hereby renumbered as Section 7 and
hereby amended to read as follows:

“SEC. [6] 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30)
days from the effectivity of this Act, THE CHAIRPERSON OF
THE NCSC, IN CONSULTATION WITH the Secretaries of the
DSWD, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the
Department of Health, [and] the Executive Director of the
Commission on Filipinos Overseas, AND THE
UNDERSECRETARY OF THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS
OFFICE, shall promulgate the necessary [guidelines for and shall
take the lead in] RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR the effective
implementation of this Act.”

SECTION 5, Sections 7 and 8 of the same Act are hereby renumbered as Sections
8 and 9, respectively.

SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules or
regulations, and other issuances, or parts thereof, inconsistent with any provision
of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general
circulation.

Approved.