P100,000 incentive ready for relatives of deceased centenarians

MANILA, Philippines – The P100,000 cash incentive for centenarians, under Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016, is now available for the relatives of those who are already deceased as well as those who were abandoned by their families.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released Memorandum Circular (MC) 11 containing the supplemental guidelines for the previously released implementing rules stated in MC 4.

Qualified deceased centenarians are those who reached 100 years old and were alive when the law took effect on June 15, 2016.

Based on the guidelines, relatives of deceased centenarians may claim their cash incentive and a letter of felicitation from President Rodrigo Duterte by submitting the following documents to their city or municipal social welfare office and the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA):

• senior citizen’s ID
• any Philippine government-issued ID which shows the centenarian’s citizenship and date of birth
• death certificate of the deceased centenarian
• affidavit of adjudication of the estate or nearest surviving relative
• any Philippine government-issued ID of the estate or surviving relative

 Other documents that may be presented are:

• marriage certificate
• previous school documents
• baptismal or confirmation records 
• birth certificate of children
• an affidavit executed by at least two disinterested persons at least 80 years old with personal knowledge of the centenarian’s actual age or date of birth

Meanwhile, centenarians who have been abandoned by their family but are under the care of a social welfare institution, the local government unit, a DSWD facility, or a non-relative may also be able to claim their incentive.

They may give the required documents to the local DSWD office in their city or municipality. However, the DSWD field office near their area must first conduct an assessment before the money can be released. (READ: The centenarians of Narvacan)

For deceased centenarians who were under the care of residential care facilities, their cash incentive will be deposited to the account of the institution if there is no nearest living relative who is claiming the amount.

RA 10868 was signed by former president Benigno Aquino III a few days before his term ended in June 2016. Aquino’s successor President Rodrigo Duterte then signed the implementing rules and regulations crafted by the DSWD in September 2016. – Patty Pasion / Rappler.com