MANILA, Philippines – A new Manila City ordinance gives P800 yearly as a birthday gift to senior citizens starting 2020.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno signed Ordinance No. 8570 during a ceremony at the Bulwagang Katipunan at the Manila City Hall on Monday, September 30.

“All Senior Citizens or elderly shall be granted a yearly birthday gift in the amount of P800, to be given in cash or kind or a combination thereof,” Section 1 of the ordinance reads.

According to Moreno, they will use technology, such as ATM cards for distribution so that corruption could be prevented. If the birthday gift is given in kind, Moreno said they would give the elders birthday cakes.

Sounds familiar? It’s because Moreno got the idea from the Binays of Makati. (READ: Are Makati’s cakes really ‘overpriced’?)

“If Makati can do it, why not Manila? I hope you don’t get a bad impression of me copying this. I’m not ashamed of copying them,” Moreno said during the signing ceremony.

He added in jest: “If it will help Manileños, we won’t be ashamed to copy from other cities. As long as students don’t copy too.”

The ordinance provides that the funds for the program will come from the city’s own coffers. Moreno has repeatedly said that they can sustain his social welfare programs by making it easier for businesses to set up shop in Manila through faster processing of permits and lowering taxes. – Rappler.com