The Manila City government on Tuesday welcomed the enactment into law of Republic Act 11982 or the Amendment to the Centenarians Act of 2016, noting that this would boost government support for the elderly.

Mayor Honey Lacuna said the city’s 180,000 senior citizens would among those who will benefit from the law.

“Good news ‘yan, dahil ang ating mga minamahal na senior citizens dito sa Lungsod ng Maynila ay kabilang sa mga tatanggap ng PHP10,000 cash gift mula sa national government pagsapit nila sa edad na 80, 85, 90, at 95 batay sa tagubilin ng bagong batas (This is good news because our beloved senior citizens in the city of Manila would also receive PHP10,000 cash gift from the national government when they reach 80, 85, 90 and 95 years based on the provisions of the new law),” she said in a statement.

Lacuna said as of last year, 23 Manila centenarians have received their PHP200,000 cash gift, or PHP100,000 each from the national government and the capital city.

The city also provides a PHP500 monthly financial assistance to elderly residents and members of vulnerable sectors.

Senior citizens in the city also receive birthday cakes, Christmas gift boxes and monthly allocation of maintenance medicines.

Meanwhile, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua echoed Lacuna’s statement, as he also pushed for the updating of records of the city’s Office of Senior Citizens Affairs to jive with those of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the National Commission of Senior Citizens and other national government agencies. (PNA)