Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday vowed to push for early passage of additional benefits for all senior citizens, as she noted how inflation had further gouged the bottom line of the elderly, while pension coverage remains dismally low.
Speaking at the BusinessMirror-Unilab Dangal Awards For Elderly Care at the United Bayanihan Center in Mandaluyong City, Poe cited at least four items of remedial legislation in her priority list to supplement the Expanded Senior Citizens law earlier amended by Republic Act 10645, providing mandatory PhilHealth coverage for all
senior citizens.
To further support senior citizens, Poe earlier filed Senate Bill 1704 (the Philippine Geriatric Center Act), SB 1750 providing Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens, SB 1781 or the Elder Assistance Act, and SB 1367 providing for Priority Seating for Elderly Commuters.
“According to the Population Commission [POPCOM], the Philippines is moving towards an ageing population. In fact, at the end of last year, the number of people age 60 and above had reached 8 million, or 8 percent of our total population. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority [PSA], by 2030, the elderly will comprise 11.5 percent of our total population,” noted the senator, by way of underscoring how important a sector the elderly comprise.
She referenced her mother, acclaimed actress Susan Roces, who remains active at work at the age of 77, staying healthy while getting a surfeit of employment opportunities. “But not all our grandparents are as lucky as my mom. Sadly, the country recorded the lowest pension coverage of 28 percent for all retirees, age 65 and above. Since not all elderly people are receiving pension, some of them are forced to find work in order to supply their own and family’s needs. But because of their age, it is difficult for them to find a decent job.”
She informed senior citizens in attendance at the awards rites hosted by homegrown pharmaceutical giant Unilab that Senate Bill 1704 was filed because “we all know that aside from economic support, there is also a need for quality health care that specifically addresses the conditions of the elderly population.” United Laboratories and BusinessMirror, along with the United Bayanihan Foundation and Unilab’s generics arm RiteMed, have been holding the search for outstanding Filipino senior citizens under the Dakilang Adhikain ng Lahi, or Dangal for short.
Ilarde honored
Leading the honorees for the Sixth Dangal edition was former senator, broadcaster and now senior-citizens advocate Eddie Ilarde. He was handed the Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua award by BusinessMirror publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon.
Poe said in her speech: “Our bill SBN 1704, seeks to establish the Philippine Geriatric Centre-Research and Training Institute, which is envisioned to be an integrated medical institution that specializes in geriatric health services and gerontology research.”
She also affirmed her belief that the government should uphold the right to good health of elderly citizens by establishing a “specialized hospital” that will make quality medical care affordable and accessible to them.
She said Republic Act 10645, which amended the Expanded Senior Citizen’s Law, had institutionalized a senior citizen’s discount on necessities such as medicines, medical and dental services, transportation, restaurants and utilities.
The senator noted, however, that the existing law was passed several years ago, and “what alarms me is that not all senior citizens or business establishments are familiar with the provisions of the law.”
In pushing passage of remedial legislation, Poe pointed out further that “unfortunately, the existing social pension for senior citizens “is not enough with the soaring prices of basic services and goods” triggered by upward adjustments in tax rates under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.
The senator noted that in order to mitigate the detrimental effects of the tax, the TRAIN law provides for financial support for certain vulnerable sectors.
For instance Poe said indigent senior- citizen beneficiaries who are part of the government’s 4Ps program are supposed to receive unconditional cash grants amounting to P2,400 for the year 2018. “This will amount to an additional cash grant of P200 a month. The cash grants should have been implemented since March 2018,” she added.
‘Don’t call us old’
“DON’T call us old. We are just older.”
With a mic in front of him and the attention of people around, Eddie Ilarde was in his purest form. The entertainment/politics crossover pioneer was accepting the Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Award—the highest honor bestowed at the Sixth Dangal Awards, which recognizes senior citizens for their outstanding roles in their community—and his speech embodied the living legend’s vintage self: comedic, sharp-witted and delivered in that sweet, sweet radio voice.
“Don’t let anyone call you old,” the 84-year-old said to the audience at the Unilab Bayanihan Center in Pasig City. “Besides, tayong mga senior citizen ang pinakamayan sa lipunan: Compared to everyone else, we have more silver in the hair, gold in the teeth, stones in the liver and gas in the stomach.”
In presenting Ilarde with the award named after his late father, BusinessMirror publisher T. Anthony C. Cabangon said, “Mataas ang respeto niya sa mga senior citizen na patuloy na lumilikha ng daan upang matupad ang kanilang mga pangarap,” Cabangon said. “Sa pagdaan ng panahon, ang respetong ito ay naging panata ng aking ama, panatang kilalanin ang samut-saring kontribusyon nila sa komunidad at sa bayan.”
Besides Ilarde, the Dangal Awards recognized six individuals and five groups committed to raise the welfare of senior citizens in their respective communities.
The individual awardees include retired teacher and current barangay captain Ma. Corazon Benavidez of Pasig City, Pateros Office of Senior Citizen Affairs officer Julia Chupungco of Pateros and active community member Necita Salivio of the City of Manila. Rounding out the list are parish and livelihood projects organizer Salome Bautista of Quezon City, retired US Marine officer Loreto Binuya of Aurora province and retired Philippine Army officer Cornelio Valencia of the City of Mandaluyong.
Meanwhile, winners of the Group category are Parkhomes Senior Citizens Association Inc. of Muntinlupa City, SSDD Senior Citizen Volunteers of Quezon City, Association of Retired Educators of Makati City Inc.; Senior Citizens Group of District 1 of the City of Manila and Legion of Vibrant Elders of Parañaque City.