The city government of Batac, through the implementation of the Expanded Batac Pre-Centenarian and Centenarian Citizens’ Ordinance, has been reaching out to its elders in recognition of their contribution to community development.

Aside from the cash incentive from the national government, centenarians who are born in Batac are given additional PHP20,000 while those who were not born but is living in the Ilocos Norte city will get PHP15,000.

For this month alone, a total of 30 nonagenarians (aged 90-99) and a centenarian identified as Remedios Bongay Tapac from Barangay San Julian received their cash incentives through house-to-house awarding by personnel from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), the Senior Citizens Affairs, and other city officials.

Through the Expanded Batac Pre-Centenarian and Centenarian Citizens’ Ordinance, pre-centenarians aged 99 years, 98 years and 96 to 97 years will receive PHP12,000, PHP8,000 and PHP6,000, respectively.

Also, those aged 94 to 95 years and 90 to 93 years will get PHP4,000 and PHP3,000 respectively.

The city government also gives gratuity in perpetuity in the amount of PHP10,000 to a centenarian on his/her 101st birth anniversary and every year thereafter until death.

“Their twilight years deserve much care, attention and financial assistance to tide them over with the increasing costs of necessities of their everyday life, especially medicines. As the saying goes, it’s better to give to the living than to the dead,” Batac councilor Violeta Daradar-Nalupta, who authored the amended centenarian awards to expand its coverage, said on Wednesday.

She told journalists that budget for the centenarian awards has been incorporated under the CSWDO budget.

To qualify for the award, the awardee must be in the registry of senior citizens in the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and/or the Office of the Senior Citizens Office. (PNA)