ILOILO City – Senior citizens in Iloilo City who live beyond 100 will now receive P10,000 every year for the rest of their lives under an expanded city ordinance that strengthens financial assistance for elderly residents reaching exceptional age milestones.
The annual lifetime incentive for residents aged 101 and above is among the key provisions of amendments to the city’s Ilonggo Centenarian Ordinance introduced through Regulation Ordinance No. 2026.
The amended ordinance expands the city’s milestone assistance program, which grants P10,000 to residents upon reaching 80 years old, P20,000 at age 90 and P50,000 upon reaching 100.
Beginning at age 101, qualified senior citizens will receive another P10,000 every year for as long as they are alive, subject to verification and certification by the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).
The measure seeks to strengthen Iloilo City’s recognition and support for its elderly residents by providing financial assistance as they reach significant age milestones.
To qualify for the annual grant for those aged 101 and above, beneficiaries must be bona fide residents of Iloilo City, alive at the time the assistance is released, and verified and certified by OSCA.
Meanwhile, senior citizens entitled to the P10,000 benefit at age 80 and the P20,000 incentive at age 90 must claim the assistance within one year from their birthday. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the benefit.
The amended program will be implemented prospectively, meaning senior citizens cannot seek retroactive payment of benefits that they may have qualified for before the amendments took effect.
The city government will earmark P4 million annually to fund the expanded benefits.
Of the amount, P3 million will be allocated for milestone incentives for residents reaching 80, 90 and 100 years old, while P1 million will finance the annual P10,000 grants for senior citizens aged 101 and above.
The OSCA and the City Social Welfare and Development Office will oversee the program’s implementation, including the preparation of guidelines and documentary requirements and the identification and verification of qualified beneficiaries.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2026 was authored by Councilor Rudolph Jeffrey O. Ganzon./PN
