Bicol senior citizens urged to sign up online for benefits

By Sally A. Altea

LEGAZPI CITY --- The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) is urging elderly individuals in Bicol to register online to receive social benefits from the government.

Ricardo Rainier G. Cruz III, NSC commissioner for Clustered Region 3, said the Elderly Data Management System will form the basis for efficient planning, implementation, and monitoring of suitable interventions for senior citizens.

“Data gathering is very important. We have to ensure correct and accurate data as the basis for government programs and interventions,” Cruz said during a dialogue with representatives of government agencies that would assist the NCSC in gathering the necessary data for the database.

Clustered Region 3 includes Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol.

Elderly individuals aged 60 and above can register on the NCSC website at www.ncsc.gov.ph by clicking the “Register Now!” button.

The registrant is required to provide personal profile details, educational background, health information, and economic profile.

Reymar R. Mansilungan, NSC commissioner for Clustered Region 1, emphasized the importance of obtaining detailed health status information for senior citizens. This data will enable the office to develop programs and interventions to address their health and medical needs.

The Region 1 cluster includes Regions I, II, III, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Mansilungan said the collected data will also be used to assess the eligibility of senior citizens for current and future social pensions and assistance programs.

“There is a recent approval in the house of the universal pension on third and final reading. If it is approved, at any time, we don’t know how much budget to ask the congress for that, so our effort today is to collect data,” he said.

Mansilungan said that if the universal pension is approved, it will only be given to eligible registered seniors.

The NSC has engaged the Commission on Elections, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine Information Agency to extend outreach to a larger elderly population.

Delia Lucido, a senior citizen from Pilar, Sorsogon, welcomed the database registration as a way to address the specific needs of seniors. “Sa wakas nagkaroon na din ng ahensya para sa mga seniors. Hihikayatin ko ang tulad kong senior na magregister upang matamasa rin nila ang benepisyo na nararapat,” she said.

(At last, there is already an agency for seniors. I will encourage my fellow seniors to register so they can enjoy the benefits they deserve.)

Nikita Solano, from Daraga, Albay, expressed optismism that the new database would allow her father to access additional medical services from the government. (PIA5/Albay)