You Turn 100: What Do You Get From the Philippine Government?
There's a P100,000 cash incentive waiting for you.
(SPOT.ph) When someone turns 100 years old, they are entitled to more than bragging rights. They receive several awards and incentives under the Philippine government's Centenarians Act of 2016, too.
This includes a Centenarian Gift of P100,000, a Letter of Felicitation from the President (where they will be congratulated for his or her longevity), and a Posthumous Plaque of Recognition for those who have already passed away upon the effectivity of the Act.
In 2019, the Centenarians Act of 2016 was revised to split the P100,000 cash incentive in parts: P25,000 for those reaching 80 years old, another P25,000 for those reaching 90, and the remaining P50,000 for those reaching 100 years old to help them pay for living expenses, medicine, and other necessities.
A more recent house bill seeks to increase the amount to P1 million for those who reach 101 years old.
These incentives are also available to Filipino centenarians living overseas, which are subject to verification by the City/Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (C/MSWDO) in collaboration with the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA). Non-Filipino residents in the Philippines are not covered by this Act.
Only 0.008% of 100 million Filipinos live over 100 years old based on a 2010 consensus by the National Statistics Office. For the rest of us mortals, the average life expectancy is 71 for men and 78 for women as per the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2022.
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The oldest Filipinos over 100 years old
One of the most notable Filipino centenarians is Francisca Montes-Susano from Negros Occidental, who was claimed to be the oldest living person in the world at 124 years old before her death in 2021.
Before Montes-Susano, only two people, Anna Wilmot and Flaviano Juban, have been validated as the oldest people from the Philippines. Both of them were considered supercentenarians at 110 years old.
Many other centenarians across the nation have come forward to seek the government's benefits. However, ages are often challenging to prove without official documentation. A piece by Philippine Star noted that the Philippines had only started mandatory civil registration in 1930, which is why “many longevity claims are difficult to substantiate.”
Of course, there is also Juan Ponce Enrile, who is turning 100 on February 14. That much we can be sure of.
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