THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it has approved funding for new regional offices and staff positions for the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC).
In a statement on Tuesday, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said eight new regional offices and 96 plantilla positions will be created for the NCSC.
The regional offices will be located in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Southwestern Tagalog, Bicol, the Cordilleras, the Western Visayas, and northern and northeastern Mindanao, the DBM said.
The NCSC was created in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11350.
The commission has funding of P79.9-billion from the 2024 General Appropriations Act. The government has also earmarked P49.89 billion to fund the health insurance of around 8.5 million poor senior citizens.
There are about 9.22 million senior citizens, or those above 60 years old, according to the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last month signed Republic Act 11982, or the expanded Centenarian Act, which grants senior citizens aged 80 years and above a P10,000 cash gift every five years until they turn 95. This is on top of the P100,000 cash gift already given to seniors that hit 100 years of age.
Last week, the House of Representatives urged government agencies to implement a P500 discount on basic goods for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
