BACOLOD CITY — Three centenarians here were recognized by the city government in a ceremony led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia at the Bacolod City Government Center on Wednesday.
The mayor was joined by his wife, Elsa, in greeting the honorees, who each received a cash incentive of PHP100,000 and a letter of felicitation from President Rodrigo Duterte,
congratulating them for their longevity.
The centenarians were: Sabina Cerbo, 103, born on Nov. 5, 1914, resident of Barangay Granada; Maria Emma de la Peña, 100, born on July 29, 1918, who hails from Barangay Taculing; and Josefina Lacson, 100, born on May 28, 1918, who resides in Barangay Vista Alegre.
Cash incentives given to centenarians are provided in Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016.
In Bacolod, a centenarian is also entitled to receive another PHP100,000 from the city government by virtue of City Ordinance (CO) No. 09-16-789.
CO 09-16-789 series of 2016 amended CO 08-14-670 series of 2014 to increase the cash incentive of centenarians from PHP10,000 to PHP100,000.
Under RA 10868, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Western Visayas (DSWD-6) has released PHP41 million in cash incentives to 410 centenarians in the region last year.
The DSWD-6 is targeting 183 centenarians to receive the incentive this year. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
