Senior citizen refers to any resident citizen of the Philippines that is at least 60 years old. There are currently about 10 million senior citizens in the country. A small percentage of them will become centenarians. That’s because the average life span of Filipinos is 67 years for males and 72 for females. PopCom Executive Director Juan Antonio Perez III said the life span of Filipinos is getting longer because of modern medicine and advanced technology. However, their quality of life is hardly improving.
Perez said that older persons need the government’s help as they will be “the poorest members of the population because usually their pensions are not enough for them.” He said the “social protection systems have yet to catch up with social conditions.”
Since the beginning of civilization, the elderly have played an essential role in society—they represented wisdom, earned through a life filled with experience. In China, respecting elders is considered the highest virtue. In traditional Chinese culture, the young through middle age receive little attention on their birthdays. Families celebrate decade birthdays starting at age 60. With each new decade reached comes an even bigger party and more significant celebratory gifts. In this way, an aging loved one is treated like a treasured gem.
We want to show our senior citizens their worth to society and give them feelings of affirmation during times of uncertainty. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill granting additional benefits to Filipino centenarians, including the grant of P1 million to senior citizens who reach 101 years old. Voting through viva voce, lawmakers passed House Bill 10647, which also seeks to recognize octogenarians and nonagenarians. The bill is expected to be approved on third and final reading next week. (Read, “Bill for ‘millionaire’ centenarians hurdles 2nd reading in House,” in the BusinessMirror, January 25, 2022).
Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, one of the principal authors of the bill, said the proposal will give the families of senior citizens the means to continue taking care of their beloved lolos and lolas, as well as to strengthen the traditional family values of caring of elderly. “Where in other cultures, senior citizens are sent off to nursing homes instead of being cared for by their own families, we take care of our senior family members and give them the respect, love and attention they deserve,” Atienza said, adding that Filipino senior citizens are remarkable for their resilience in the face of adversity and their industry as they continue to contribute to their family and community even in their old age.
The bill, which will amend Republic Act 10868 also known as the “Centenarians Act of 2016,” will provide monetary benefits to senior citizens who have reached 80, 85, 90, 95 and 101 years of age. It creates a new subsection in RA 10868 that provides for the grant of cash gifts in the amount of P1 million to those who reach 101 years old, and cash benefits for octogenarians and nonagenarians in the amount of P25,000.
The National Commission of Senior Citizens shall be the lead implementing agency of this proposal. The measure also mandates the NCSC chairman to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this proposal in consultation with the Secretaries of the DSWD, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Health, the Executive Director of the Commission on Filipino Overseas, and the Undersecretary of the Philippine Statistics Office.
We commend the bill’s proponents and all members of Congress that will help see this measure signed into law. This is a good way to recognize the rights of senior citizens to take their proper place in society, and make their welfare and improved quality of life a collective concern of the family, community, and government.