NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
^^rts^rt®fl'icr of the rrftarp
23 MAR-1 P5:24
SENATE
No. 1951
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO FILIPINO CENTENARIANS, 
RECOGNIZING OCTOGENARIANS AND NONAGENARIANS, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE 
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10868, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 'CENTENARIANS ACT 
OF 2016'
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Senior citizens are an integral part of our society with their significant contribution 
to the labor force, families, and the state by performing their civic duties. In 2020, the 
Philippines had 9.22M senior citizens as part of our population with half of them actively 
contributing to the workforce.1 The State's appreciation and support of our senior citizens, 
aligned with the 1987 Philippine Constitution Articles XIII and XV declares the state's 
responsibility to adopt policies that ensure the social security and health of the elderly 
people, culminated in the Republic Act No. 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016. This 
act grants centenarians P100,000, a Letter of Felicitation, and other benefits from their 
respective Local Government Units.
The potential beneficiaries of the Centenarians Act of 2016, remain limited because 
most of the elderly population do not become centenarians. Therefore, this bill, also 
inspired by the concept of healthy and active aging aims to amend the Act to provide 
senior citizens with greater assistance. Many senior citizens live in poverty and suffer 
from poor health; a 2018 study found that 46% of senior citizens live under the poverty 
line.2 Additionally, most senior citizens do not enjoy some form of pension mechanism.3 
Even with the slowing down of the COVID-19 pandemic, the elderly's exacerbated 
predicaments remain as many seniors struggle to access sufficient food, medicine, and 
income.4
1 Bonquin, Carolyn. "POPCOM official suggests raising retirement age, more care programs for elderly amid ageing population." CNN Philippines. 2022 
https://www.cnnphilippines.eom/news/2022/8/17/POPCOM-retirement-age-care-programs-elderly.html; Jaymalin, Mayen. Nearly Half Of 9 Million 
Elderly Still Working, Poor.One News. October 2022, httDs://www.onenews.Dh/articles/nearlv-half-of-9-m-elderlv-still- 
workino-Door
2 Jaymalin, Mayen. "Nearly Half Of 9 Million Elderly Still Working, Poor.One News." One News. October 2022, 
https://www.onenews.ph/articles/nearly-half-of-9-m-elderly-still-working-poor; Cahapay, Michael. "Senior Citizens during 
Covid-19 Crisis in the Philippines: Enabling Laws, Current Issues, and Shared Efforts." Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 
vol. 9, no.2, 2021 p. 11.
3 Castillo, Pleene Garcia J. Provision of Care for Filipino Older Persons and Responding to the Needs of Aging Societies. Philippine Statistics Authority. 
2019,
httDs://www.un.ora/develoDment/desa/Dd/sites/www.un.orQ.develonment.desa.Dd/files/unDd earn 201902 sS nleneearacelcastillo.odf
‘Jaymalin, Mayen. Nearly Half Of 9 million Elderly Still Working, Poor.One News. 2022 https://www.onenews.ph/articles/nearly- 
half-of-9-m-elderly-still-working-poor; Cahapay, Michael. "Senior Citizens during Covid-19 Crisis in the Philippines: Enabling 
Laws, Current Issues, and Shared Efforts." Research on Ageing and Social Policy, vol. 9, no.2, 2021 pp. 11-12.


Considering the hardship our senior citizens are facing, this bill aims to expand the 
benefits of the Centenarians Act of 2016 to include octogenarians, nonagenarians, and 
increase the cash gift provided to centenarians. This would benefit the elderly population 
by providing them with needed funds and motivating them continue to live productive 
lives.
The passage of this measure is thus earnestly sought.
RISA HONTIVEROS u


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
o( tl)c £'rti Ptcii'j)
23 MAR-1 P5:24
SENATE
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
AN ACT
GRANTING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO FILIPINO CENTENARIANS, 
RECOGNIZING OCTOGENARIANS AND NONAGENARIANS, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE 
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10868, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 'CENTENARIANS ACT 
OF 2016'
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
1 
SECTION 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10868 is amended to read as follows:
2 
"SEC. 2. [Letter of Felicitation and Cash Gift] BENEFITS FOR CENTENARIANS.
3 
- All Filipinos who reach the age of one hundred (100) years old, whether residing
4 
in the Philippines or abroad, shall be honored with:
5 
(a) A letter of felicitation from the President of the Philippines congratulating
6 
the celebrant [for his and her] ON ONE'S longevity AND
7 
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY; and
8 
(b) A Centenarian Gift in the amount of one hundred thousand pesos
9 
(P100,000.00)
10 
"ALL FILIPINO CENTENARIANS WHO REACH THE AGE ONE
11 
HUNDRED AND ONE (101) YEARS OLD SHALL RECEIVE A CASH
12 
GIFT IN THE AMOUNT OF ONE MILLION OF PESOS
13 
(P1,000,000.00) ON THEIR BIRTHDAY."
14 
Sec. 2. A new section denominated as Section 3 of the same Act is added to read
15 
as follows:
16 
"SEC. 3. BENEFITS FOR OCTOGENARIANS AND NONAGENARIANS. - ALL
17 
FILIPINOS WHO REACH THE AGE OF EIGHTY (80), EIGHTY-FIVE (85),
18 
NINETY (90) AND NINETY-FIVE (95) YEARS OLD SHALL ALSO RECEIVE
19 
A LETTER OF FELICITATION FROM THE PRESIDENT AND A CASH GIFT
20 
OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P25,000.00)."
21 
Sec. 3. Sections 3 and 4 of the same Act are renumbered as Sections 4 and 5
22 
respectively.
23 
Sec. 4. A new section denominated as Section 6 of the same Act is added to read
24 
as follows:
25 
"SEC. 6. LEAD AGENCY. - THE NATIONAL COMMISSION OF SENIOR
26 
CITIZENS (NCSC) SHALL IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT."
27 
Sec. 5. Section 5 of the same Act is renumbered as Section 7 and amended to read
28 
as follows:


1 
"SEC. [5]7. [Funding. - During the initial year of the implementation of this Act,
2 
the requisite fund shall be sourced from the available funds of the Department of
3 
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and subsequently the amount necessary
4 
to implement the provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General
5 
Appropriations Act."]
6 
"APPROPRIATIONS. - THE AMOUNT NECESSARY FOR
7 
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS ACT SHALL BE INCLUDED IN THE
8 
ANNUAL GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT.
9 
Sec. 6. Section 6 of the same Act is renumbered as Section 8 and amended to read
10 
as follows: 14
11 
"SEC. [6]8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from
12 
the effectivity of this Act, the [Secretaries of the DSWD] CHAIRPERSON OF THE
13 
NCSC SHALL, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE SECRETARY OF SOCIAL
14 
WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT, the [Department] SECRETARY of the Interior
15 
and Local Government, the [Department] SECRETARY of Health, [and] the
16 
Executive Director of the Commission on Filipino Overseas, AND
17 
THE UNDERSECRETARY OF THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICS OFFICE, [shall]
18 
promulgate the necessary [guidelines for and shall take the lead in] RULES AND
19 
REGULATIONS FOR the effective implementation of this Act."
20 
Sec. 7. Sections 7 and 8 of the same Act are renumbered as Sections 9 and 10
21 
respectively.
22 
Sec. 8. All laws, presidential decrees, issuances, executive orders, letters of
23 
instruction, rules or regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with or contrary to the
24 
provisions of this Act are repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
25 
Sec. 9. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the OfTicial
26 
Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,