Senior citizens are being deceived by two videos on YouTube which claim they will automatically receive P10,000 following the signing of a law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This is misleading.
Marcos did sign a law that would grant seniors a cash gift of P10,000 but only upon reaching certain milestone ages.
First uploaded on March 3, the video’s headline read:
“NAKAKATUWANG BALITA! BASTA SENIOR, AUTOMATIC MAY ₱10K AGAD! WALANG REQUIREMENTS!
(Exciting news! All seniors will automatically HAVE P10K! No requirements!)”
Another copy of the video uploaded on March 8, also bore the following text in its thumbnail:
“WALANG PIPILIIN BASTA SENIOR CITIZEN! PIRMADO NA NI PRESIDENT BBM! P10K PER HEAD BASTA SENIOR KA
(No vetting, as long as [you’re] a senior citizen! Signed by President BBM! P10K per head as long as you’re a senior).”
Republic Act 11982, or the expanded Centenarian Act, entitles senior citizens to a P10,000 cash gift once they reach the ages of 80, 85, 90 and 95. The measure covers all Filipino seniors living in the Philippines and overseas.
The law is not retroactive, and will only cover those who reach the milestone ages at the time of the amended law’s enactment on Feb. 26, 2024.
However, payout is only expected to start next year pending budgetary requirements and implementing rules and regulations from the National Commission on Senior Citizens (NCSC).
The elderly are asked to register with the NCSC’s website or their local Office of Senior Citizens Affairs for inclusion in the Elderly Data Management System, which is being developed to identify the law’s beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the P100,000 cash incentive for the elderly reaching 100 years old will continue.
Filipinos who turn 60 years old are classified as senior citizens and are eligible for discounts and social pension.
The misleading videos offered no proof to back their claim but merely showed unrelated photos and audio, including a Feb. 29 interview of Sen. Imee Marcos where she discussed delays in distributing social pension for indigent seniors.
Uploaded by previously fact-checked YouTube channel Balitang Pinas, the videos drew a total of 39,800 interactions.
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