Iloilo city: The National Commission of Senior Citizens in Western Visayas (NCSC-6) has already released over PHP315 million as a cash gift for 29,791 senior citizens who reached their milestone age.

According to Philippines News Agency, one of the mandates of the NCSC is the implementation of the Expanded Centenarians Act Program. The implementation began in 2024, and the cash gift release started in 2025, with retroactive payments for 2024. This initiative is intended as a gift rather than support for indigents, as clarified by Western Visayas Regional Director Ann Rapunzel Ganzon during a media forum.

Data from the commission indicates that over PHP144.72 million was distributed to 14,211 grantees who reached their milestone age in 2024, while more than PHP170.29 million was allocated to 15,580 senior citizens who reached their milestone age in 2025. The regional office oversees Western Visayas, Negros Occidental, and Bacolod City.

Under the law, senior citizens reaching the milestone ages of 80, 85, 90, and 95 receive PHP10,000, whereas those 100 years old and above are entitled to a PHP100,000 cash gift. The last releases in 2025 prioritized 2024 milestone agers, following an order from the central office. However, the distribution for the remaining grantees scheduled for March and April might face revisions due to changes in work arrangements, as the office transitions to a four-day workweek.

Western Visayas boasts the largest number of centenarians and milestone agers granted cash gifts among regions in the country. The data shows that 14,510 grantees were 80 years old, 9,968 were 85, 3,965 were 90, and 1,158 were 95. Notably, 21,077 of the grantees were female, and 8,714 were male.

For the first quarter of 2026, approximately 6,000 applications have been received and endorsed by local government units.