MANILA - More than 2,000 senior citizens from various areas in Metro Manila attended the opening ceremonies of the annual Elderly Filipino Week on Sunday in Pasay City.

The celebration, aimed to honor the country's elders, was led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, PhilHealth and senior citizens' organizations.

Seventeen centenarians were given framed greetings signed by President Rodrigo Duterte as part of the recognition mandated by the 2016 Centenarians Law. They earlier received P100,000 each as a gift under the said law.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Leni Robredo thanked the senior citizens for helping support, nurture, and inspire the country.

As part of the Elderly Week, senior citizens may enjoy free rides at the MRT and LRT lines on October 1 and October 7 (Saturday).

The celebration also hopes to raise awareness of the need to provide universal pension to all senior citizens in the country.

A Universal Social Pension bill is currently being worked in Congress, which includes increasing the pension amount from 500 to 2,000 pesos a month.