The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to honor the contributions of Filipino centenarians, both in the Philippines and abroad, by facilitating the P100,000 centenarian gift as mandated by Republic Act No. 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016.
As of August 2021, the Department has already served 1,130 centenarians out of the 1,319 target beneficiaries for the present year with P113 million amount disbursed.
Under the said law, all Filipinos who reach 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, will be honored with a Letter of Felicitation from the President of the Philippines congratulating the celebrant for his or her longevity; and a centenarian gift in the amount of ₱100,000.
The Department reiterated that relatives of the centenarians must submit primary documents such as birth certificate and Philippine passport to the City or Municipal Social Welfare Office and the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in their localities in order to avail of the benefits of the law.
If both documents are unavailable, any one of the primary Identification Cards issued by OSCA, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and Social Security System (SSS); driver’s license; Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) license; and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Voter’s ID, is also accepted. Secondary documents of the centenarians may also be submitted in the absence of the primary documents or identifications.
Meanwhile, the DSWD assured the public that it is continuously coordinating with local government units (LGUs) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to determine the estimated number of centenarians for the coming year. The Department is undertaking measures to improve planning and budgeting for a more effective implementation of the law.
