Gov’t Should Provide Social Pension for Poor Senior Citizens

www.gmanews.tv

March 19, 2009 

Philippines

The Philippines is just one of two countries in Asia that has no “social pension for poor older people," a non-government group claimed. 

As a result, the Coalition of Services for the Elderly (COSE) sought congressional approval for a bill that “will allow older persons from the poorest of the poor to receive monthly social pension of P1,000 pesos," the group said in a statement. 

The same group also urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to allocate P24 billion out of the 2010 budget to facilitate the passage of the measure in Congress.

“Every country in Asia, some even economically poorer than the Philippines such as Bangladesh and Nepal, has some type of social pension for poor older people. We, along with Cambodia are the only exception," said Ed Gerlock, COSE Advocacy Officer.

Currently, two proposed measures – House Bill 9765, Elderly Poor Pension Act authored by Parañaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita and Senate Bill 1657 or Needy Senior Citizens Financial Assistance Act authored by Sen. Edgardo Angara – have not been gaining ground, the group said. 

“Experiences from other countries showed that providing pensions to older persons especially those living below the poverty line results to better life conditions for them and their families. Most older persons here in the Philippines care for their relatives and usually share their money with their grandchildren," said Gerlock.

The 2000 Census of Population and Housing found the total number of senior citizens or those 60 years old and over have reached 4.6 million, accounting for 5.97 percent of the country’s population. 

The Special Report on Senior Citizens of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) estimates that 31.4 percent of the older persons or 1.4 million were poor.


Govt should consider benefits of providing social pension

For its part, the Coalition of Older Persons Association of the Philippines (Copap) said the government should look at social pension for elderly as an investment to bring about healthier and more productive citizens that have important economic as well as social benefits.

“The government has been experimenting with “cash transfer" to needy families with conditions attached. Social pension poses no contradiction as the “cash transfer" is translated into a social pension for poor older people since the majority of them are living with their family," the Copap said. 

Both Copap and COSE proposed that intended beneficiaries should be determined by the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) and its local counterparts in the LGUs.

To facilitate the passage of such measure, the groups also called on the House of Representatives to include the cost of the social pension in the 2010 national budget as part of the General Appropriation Act (GAA).

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