Policy and intent
- The policy of the State is to adopt measures that assist and appreciate senior citizens as a community-wide responsibility (Section 2).
- The State must provide services and activities beneficial to senior citizens, their families, and the communities they serve, including community-based health and rehabilitation, educational, and socioeconomic programs (Section 2).
- The State must promote advocacy and collaboration between stakeholders and senior citizens to ensure effective implementation of programs and services, especially for development of senior citizens, advancing health and well-being, and ensuring a supportive and enabling environment (Section 2).
Creation and placement
- Section 3 creates the National Commission of Senior Citizens, referred to as the Commission.
- The Commission is placed under the Office of the President (Section 3).
- The Commission must establish its principal office in the National Capital Region (Section 3).
- The Commission may set up field offices in coordination with appropriate government agencies (Section 3).
Commission composition and terms
- The Commission consists of a Chairperson and six (6) Commissioners and acts as a collegial body (Section 4).
- The Chairperson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission (Section 4).
- The six (6) Commissioners must represent different geographical regions of the Philippines and hold office in their respective regions (Section 4).
- The full Commission must meet at least once every month (Section 4).
- The Chairperson and Commissioners have a term of office of six (6) years, without prejudice to reappointment by the President (Section 5).
- For the first appointments: the Chairperson and two (2) Commissioners hold office for six (6) years; two (2) Commissioners hold office for four (4) years; and two (2) Commissioners hold office for two (2) years (Section 5).
- Appointment to a vacancy is limited to the unexpired term of the predecessor (Section 5).
Qualifications of members
- Commissioners must be citizens and residents of the Philippines (Section 6).
- Members must be at least sixty (60) years old at the time of appointment (Section 6).
- Members must have good moral character (Section 6).
- Members must be bona fide members of senior citizens associations (Section 6).
- Members must hold a college degree or have relevant experience in senior citizens’ affairs (Section 6).
- Members must be of good health and sound mind (Section 6).
- Members must not have been convicted by final judgment of a crime involving moral turpitude (Section 6).
- Members must be recommended by a general assembly of senior citizens organizations (Section 6).
- At least two (2) Commissioners must be women (Section 6).
Core functions and authority
- The Commission must ensure full implementation of laws, policies, and programs pertaining to senior citizens, and must review and conduct studies on them and recommend appropriate actions to Congress and the President (Section 7(a)).
- The Commission must formulate policies for the promotion and protection of senior citizens’ rights and well-being (Section 7(b)).
- The Commission must conduct information, education and communication campaigns to raise awareness on senior citizens’ rights (Section 7(c)).
- The Commission must establish and maintain cooperation and consultations with local government units and national government agencies on matters concerning senior citizens’ general welfare (Section 7(d)).
- The Commission must represent the Philippines in international functions, fora, or conferences on senior citizens and must establish and maintain linkages with international senior-citizen or senior-citizen-serving institutions or organizations and counterpart government agencies of other states (Section 7(e)).
- The Commission must constitute and convene, when necessary, an advisory body composed of representatives from government, nongovernment organizations, civil society, and the private sector to assist in performing its functions (Section 7(f)).
- The Commission must develop mechanisms and procedures for selection and nomination of its members for Presidential appointment (Section 7(g)).
- The Commission must perform other actions and functions for senior citizens’ promotion of welfare as directed by the President (Section 7(h)).
Organizational setup and Executive Director
- The Commission must determine its organizational structure and staffing patterns, create offices/divisions/units as necessary, and appoint officers and employees in accordance with civil service laws, rules and regulations, subject to DBM approval (Section 8).
- The remuneration structure for positions must strictly conform to Republic Act No. 6758, the “Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989” (Section 8).
- The Commission must appoint an Executive Director to implement Commission policies, rules, regulations, and directives, and to manage daily operations and coordinate/supervise activities of Commission offices/divisions/units (Section 9).
- The Executive Director must be a Career Executive Service Officer (Section 9).
- The Executive Director must have at least five (5) years of relevant experience in any of these fields: law; economics; commerce; management; social service; or finance (Section 9).
Abolition and function transfer
- The National Coordinating and Monitoring Board created under Republic Act No. 9994 (“Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010”) is abolished (Section 10).
- Functions, programs, projects, and activities previously undertaken by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for formulation, implementation, and coordination of social welfare and development (SWD) policies and programs for the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged senior citizens are transferred to the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) (Section 11).
Appropriations and implementation timeline
- Funding for implementation must be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (Section 12).
- The Commission must promulgate implementing rules and regulations after due consultation with the DBM, DSWD, Department of the Interior and Local Government, League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, and other stakeholders (Section 13).
- The implementing rules and regulations must be promulgated within one hundred eighty (180) days from the Act’s effectivity (Section 13).
Separability, repeals, and amendments
- If any section or provision of the Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect (Section 14).
- Section 11 of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by Republic Act No. 9257 and further amended by Republic Act No. 9994, is repealed (Section 15).
- All other laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, and other issuances or parts inconsistent with the Act are repealed or modified accordingly (Section 15).