How to digitally claim cash gift under Expanded Centenarians Act

The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) announced that the P10,000 cash gift for Filipino senior citizens aged 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100 under Republic Act No. 11982 or the Expanded Centenarians Act can now be claimed digitally.

To begin the process, applicants must download the updated claim form from the NCSC website. The form may also be obtained from the nearest Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) or Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO).

In the updated claim form, beneficiaries must indicate their preferred mode of receiving the cash gift. Available options are:

• Bank account used for Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) pensions, or any savings account
• Land Bank of the Philippines PISO account
• GCash (verified accounts only)
• Nearest Palawan Pawnshop branch

Applicants must also submit the following requirements along with the accomplished form:

• Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) birth certificate
• National ID or digital NCSC ID
• One whole-body photo
• Bank-verified deposit slip or printed screenshot of GCash profile information

After submission, applicants should wait for a notification or call from the NCSC regional office to confirm the transaction account.

While digital literacy training programs for senior citizens are in place, NCSC chairperson Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez encouraged younger family members to assist elderly beneficiaries in making digital transactions.

“So, our youth and relatives at home can help our grandparents,” Gutierrez said in the program Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

She added that Land Bank of the Philippines has also committed to assisting senior citizens who wish to open bank accounts.

“They now have a designated senior citizens’ corner,” she said.—MCG, GMA News