8,000 seen to benefit from Centenarians Act

MANILA, Philippines - Around 8,000 Filipino centenarians will benefit from the Centenarians Act, which is expected to be signed into law by President Aquino soon, one of the authors of the bill said yesterday.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of House Bill 834, said the Senate has only minor amendments as reflected in Senate Bill 3328 that senators approved on third and final reading on Monday.

Under the proposed law, a Filipino who reaches 100 years of age is entitled to a cash gift of P100,000 from the national government and other cash rewards which concerned local government units may optionally grant.

Lagman said he immediately agreed to the Senate amendments, which increased from 50 percent to 75 percent the discount on goods and services which centenarians could avail themselves of.

A national committee will be tasked to validate the true birth year of a centenarian applicant and release the gift of P100,000 within 30 days from validation.

Lagman’s agreement to the Senate amendments dispensed with the holding of a bicameral conference committee and would expedite the process of enacting the Centenarians Act by President Aquino.