The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday assured the public of an enhanced implementation of Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarians Act, in coordination with the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), a supervised agency of the DSWD.
“We are in close coordination, especially now na under sila ng (that they are under) supervision of DSWD. We are reviewing the strategies that we have employed in the previous years, and we are explaining to them how these have worked with the betterment of the elderly sector, so, titingnan natin kung anong maipagpapatuloy (we’ll go over them to know what needs to be retained ). And with the issues that are surfacing now, we will be recommending direction to the NCSC, particularly in the program implementation,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a radio interview.
The DSWD spokesperson added that the department will continue to coordinate with the NCSC and the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) of local government units (LGUs) to ensure that centenarians will receive their felicitation letters and cash incentives on time.
“Sa DSWD kasi mayroong tayong database, kaya napu-forecast natin yung mga senior citizens na aabot na sa 100 years old. So, bago pa man mag-submit ng aplikasyon yung mga elderly eh alam na po natin kung sino yung aabot ng 100 years old. Kaya nga sabi ko, kapag mayroong mga documents na naisumite sa atin, alam na po natin. Nagsasagawa na tayo ng immediate verification (In the DSWD, we have a database, so we are able to forecast the senior citizens who will reach 100 years old. So, even before the elderly submit applications, we already knew those who would reach 100 years old. That’s why I said, when there are documents submitted to us, we are already aware of it. We are already conducting immediate verification),” Dumlao said.
According to the DSWD official, the DSWD field office in Central Luzon was able to reach out to four centenarians from an Aeta community in Capas, Tarlac, who were featured in a viral video on Facebook.
In the video, the elderly Aetas said they have yet to receive their centenarian incentives due to being considered “overaged.”
Upon instruction by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Dumlao said the DSWD immediately distributed PHP10,000 cash assistance to the Aeta grandpas and grandmas, who have not yet received their respective centenarian incentives.
“Nakipag-ugnayan na rin po ang DSWD sa NCSC para maibigay na ang mga nasabing incentives sa kanila (The DSWD is now in coordination with the NCSC to complete the distribution of the said incentives to them),” she said.
Under the Centenarian Law, all Filipinos who reach 100 years old, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, are honored with a Letter of Felicitation from the President of the Philippines, congratulating them on their longevity, and a centenarian gift amounting to PHP100,000 in recognition of their contributions to nation-building.
Last January 2025, the implementation of the Centenarians Act was placed under the NCSC, as mandated by Republic Act 11350, the law which created the NCSC. (PNA)