THE Philippines should have solid programs in place to care for a graying society—and the government has less than a decade to prepare for it, according to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM).
In a recent radio interview, Dr. Juan Antonio Perez III, former executive director of POPCOM, noted that while their number is steadily increasing, Filipinos 60 years of age and older are currently beset with health and social issues, as their quality of living is taking a downturn.
A recent report by the Philippine Statistics Authority said senior citizens now account for 8.5 percent of the population, or 9.2 million individuals.
Dr. Perez represented the country in a September 30 conference in Bangkok, Thailand for the International Day of Older Persons, where he cited figures from the University of the Philippines-Population Institute (UPPI). There, he mentioned that the annual growth rate of Filipino seniors in the past 10 years has been at 3.5 percent—almost double that of the general Philippine population, which is at less than 2 percent.
“Among our senior citizens, women outnumber men 55 percent to 45 percent,” revealed the former POPCOM chief, who was also the undersecretary for population and development or POPDEV. “While older Filipinas outlive their male counterparts, the former contend with diseases and disabilities. More than half [57 percent] struggle with their daily living and have mobility issues. About 56 percent of them are already widowed, while 70 percent of males are either still married or have partners, and are very much physically active.”
He also shared the projection by Professor Grace Cruz of UPPI of the Philippines being an “aging society” by the start of the next decade, as there would be more senior citizens then by 10 percent. POPCOM projects that about 11 percent of the total population will be 60 and older by 2030, as they will outnumber children 0 to 4 years old—effectively reversing a historical trend of the country having more children than older persons.
Almost half the number of older persons are still working and unable to make ends meet for their daily living; more so, for their health needs, according to Perez. Because of their socioeconomic conditions, they are inactive or unhealthy, with most postponing seeking medical consultation for financial reasons.
With poor health and pervasive poverty, many older Filipinos are also prone to mental disabilities such as depression—especially for those living alone and widowed early, as well as Alzheimer’s disease that requires 24/7 caring. Perez described the latter as a “social problem” if it entails participation of older persons’ children who may have to be absent from work, or abandon such altogether, to attend to elderly parents.