TACLOBAN CITY — Reaching advanced age is a momentous milestone for senior citizens who have spent decades nurturing families and building communities. In Tacloban City, nearly 300 octogenarian and nonagenarian residents recently received financial assistance under the Marcos Jr. administration’s Expanded Centenarians Act, gaining much-needed support and formal recognition for their enduring contributions.
Vital Relief for Everyday Healthcare and Needs
For many elderly recipients, the cash incentive serves as a critical lifeline. Eighty-year-old Eugenia Buena of Kawayan village shared that the financial assistance provides timely help for her mounting medical expenses. Despite her age, Buena continues to sell juice drinks and iced water at a local school to earn a living, noting that managing a heart condition requires costly maintenance medications that she cannot easily afford on her own.
Similarly, Regalado Bustillo of Naga-naga village expressed immense gratitude for the cash incentive, emphasizing how the program helps augment basic necessities and daily living expenses for older residents. Local officials note that such tangible assistance ensures elderly citizens feel supported and valued as they navigate their later years.
Honoring Generations of Community Builders
Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) Administrative Officer Mcferd Enicello highlighted the deeper significance of the rollout, underscoring that the initiative goes beyond material aid. Enicello noted that many octogenarians and nonagenarians have played vital roles in raising families, supporting grassroots communities, and driving local development over the decades, making timely recognition essential.
Preparing for an Aging Population
Signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2024, Republic Act No. 11982, or the Expanded Centenarians Act, significantly broadened the scope of previous legislation. Under the law, eligible Filipinos reaching milestone ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95 receive a ₱10,000 cash gift, in addition to the ₱100,000 granted upon turning 100 years old.
The legislative expansion was enacted in anticipation of significant demographic shifts, as United Nations projections indicate that older Filipinos aged 60 and above will comprise at least 10 percent of the nation's total population between 2025 and 2030. For the nearly 300 beneficiaries in Tacloban, the cash gift stands as a meaningful acknowledgment of lives well lived and the enduring foundations they laid for future generations.
