The city council approved an ordinance granting a cash award of P10,000 to nonagenarians and increasing the cash award of centenarians from P10,000 to P20,000.
The ordinance, which was approvedon Sept. 23, was signed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Oct. 2.
A nonagenarian is a person who is between 90 and 99 years old while a centenarian is a person who is 100 years old or older.
To qualify for the award, the nonagenarian/centenarian should be a permanent resident of Baguio City for at least five years up to the date of the award of recognition. The cash award will be given to the awardee in a fitting ceremony. However, if the awardee could not personally receive the award due to exceptional circumstances, concerned city officials will visit the place of residence of the awardee to personally give the award.
Aside from the cash award, the awardee will also receive a plaque of recognition and a congratulatory resolution from the city government.
The awardee will also be entitled to a regular medical checkup and will be visited by government health personnel on a monthly basis.
On top of these incentives, the centenarian will be entitled to receive an additional P5,000to be given as a birthday gift during his/her lifetime which will start a year after the centenarian was honored by the city.
During the first year of implementation of the ordinance, all individuals aged 90 to 99 will simultaneously receive the cash award. In the succeeding years of implementation of the ordinance, only those who turned 90 years old will receive the cash award.
Ordinance 84-2019 or “The Nonagenarian and Centenarian Awards Ordinance of the City of Baguio”further amends Ordinance 45-2013 entitled “Honoring the Centenarians of the City of Baguio, as amended by Ordinance 53-2016.”
“It is important to recognize their value, their dedication, and their contributions not only for the benefit of their family but also for the community they live in. Their immense self-discipline, healthy lifestyle, and clean-living practices for them to be able to reach such ages is admirable,” the ordinance reads. – Jordan G. Habbiling
