Centenarians to get additional cash incentives

These incentives are on top of the P100,000 cash incentive allotted by the national government for centenarians. (Eugene Alvin Villar (seav) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Aug. 16 — Centenarians in South Cotabato province are set to receive an additional one-time cash incentive of P20,000 and monthly financial assistance from the provincial government.

William Lebanan, provincial focal person for senior citizens, said Wednesday the move is in line with the local government’s full implementation of the Provincial Centenarian Ordinance that was passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board last year.

He said South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes signed last June the measure’s implementing rules and regulations.

Lebanan said the ordinance provides that senior citizens aging 100 years-old and above will receive cash incentives of P20,000 each.

Living centenarians will also get a monthly financial assistance of P2,000 from the local government, he said.

These incentives are on top of the P100,000 cash incentive allotted by the national government for centenarians.

“Those who reached the age of 100 this year or were alive during the passing of the ordinance in 2016 will receive the incentive,” he said.

But he said those who did not reach the minimum age requirement of 100 and died before the law was passed and signed will not receive the incentive.

Lebanan said the local government is currently conducting a profiling and counter-checking of centenarians within the province’s 10 towns and lone city to facilitate its proper rollout.

Citing their records, he said a total of 37 senior citizens in the province had been documented to have reached 100 years-old and above.

He said 10 are already deceased while the status of the 27 others are still being validated by their office.

“For the availment of the incentives, only those authorized by the beneficiaries or their next of kin will be allowed to make claims on their behalf,” Lebanan said.
He said the local government has initially set the release of the cash incentives on last week of September during the celebration of the National Centenarian Week.