House OKs bill granting P1 million to Pinoys age 101

MANILA, Philippines — As session resumed yesterday, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill increasing the cash gift for Filipino centenarians who reach 101 years old from P100,000 to P1 million.

With an overwhelming 257 votes, lawmakers also granted P25,000 to Filipinos when they reach the age of  80, 85, 90 and 95, whether living here or abroad.

House Bill 7535 provides that all of these elderly shall receive a letter of felicitation from the president of the Philippines.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said  with this legislation, the House “would like to honor our countrymen for their years of service to the country and for their discipline in ensuring that they live a long, healthy and fruitful life.”

“Of course, we also want our octogenarians and nonagenarians to enjoy this benefit while they still can without having to wait until 101 years old, so we also provided a cash gift for them,” he noted.

The bill mandates the National Commission of Senior Citizens to implement the measure once passed into law.

In pushing for the bill’s approval, Senior Citizens party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes underscored earlier that only 1,000 senior citizens among 12 million avail of the P100,000 centenarian cash grant.

Ordanes added that widening the coverage of the cash grant would not only help them and their families financially, but will also boost the elderly’s morale.

Records from the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed there are 662 centenarian Filipinos in the country.

Aside from Ordanes, the other principal authors of the measure are

Representatives Jude Acidre, Sonny Lagon, Daphne Lagon, Brian Yamsuan, PM Vargas, Toby Tiangco, Salvador Pleyto, Roy Loyola, LRay Villafuerte, Loreto Amante, Jam Baronda, Eric Yap, Edvic Yap, Paolo Duterte, Migs Nograles, Lani Mercado-Revilla and Gus Tambunting.

Athletes

Administration lawmakers have filed a bill in the House of Representatives that will provide for the granting of retirement, health care and death benefits to professional Filipino athletes who bag championships in international sports competitions.

House Bill 5161 authored by Reps. Paolo Duterte (Davao City), Eric Go Yap (Benguet) and Edvic Yap (ACT-CIS party-list) proposes benefits to athletes as a way of recognizing the glory and honor that Filipino world sports champions have brought to the country.

Professional Filipino athletes eligible for the benefits under the bill refer to those “who win world championship titles in international professional sports competitions or in other equally prestigious world championship games.”

At the same time, HB 5161 also provides for the creation of a Professional Filipino Athletes Welfare Development Trust Fund to be administered by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

The fund shall be used for the continued upgrading of sports training facilities so that these conform with international standards. It shall also be used for the accreditation of – and other forms of support to – the professional athletes’ sector.

Professional athletes who win in individual events in international sports competitions shall receive a lifetime monthly pension of at least P15,000 by the time they reach the age of 50.

For winners in team events, the bill provides for a lifetime monthly pension of at least P10,000.

The retirement benefits for individual events shall apply to athletes who emerge as champions in both individual and team efforts, the bill likewise states.

“Before all their triumphs, athletes go through extreme lengths and dedicate most of their years in training to be the best at what they do. They train under high expectations and high-intensity environments, which make them more vulnerable to exhaustion, burnout, physical injuries and psychological distress,” the bill’s authors said.

“It is high time that we support our athletes, not just at the podium, but even beyond all their glory,” they added.

They cited the case of the late Filipino sports icon Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who was recognized as “Asia’s Sprint Queen of the 1980s” and was a multiple gold medalist in the Asian Games, Asian Athletics Championships and Southeast Asian Games.

Before she passed away in August 2022 following a long battle with breast cancer, De Vega’s family called for prayers and financial help from the public to aid them in shouldering her medical treatment as they were not aware of any fund or assistance available for Filipino athletes to turn to during times of extreme need.

To help ailing professional Filipino sports champions, health care benefits under HB 5161 include the standard benefits provided by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and financial aid provided by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Under the measure, hospital expenses incurred by the athlete in excess of the PhilHealth benefit shall be shouldered by the PCSO under its Individual Medical Assistance Program.

The bill also provides a death benefit of P50,000 to the primary or secondary beneficiaries of deceased sports champions to help cover funeral costs and other related expenses. –Delon Porcalla