With barely a month to go before millions of Filipinos decide on the fate of the presidential candidates and elect one person, the electorate has yet to hear their programs for one of the most vulnerable members of the society, the senior citizens.
Unfortunately, the long and dragging campaign period that is about to end soon has not revealed a clear plan for the senior citizens. At the same time, not too many organizations and civil societies are quite interested in championing the cause of the elderlies.
This was the common sentiment of many older people in the country as almost all candidates are fixated on issues like territorial boundaries, sovereignty, foreign policy, drugs prevention, agriculture, education, and a wide range of people issues.
“They may have forgotten our senior citizens. We understand that the next leader of the country will be dealing with pressing concerns of he country but we are hoping that they will include the affairs of our elders,” Roleo ‘Bong’ Ignacio, one of the lead nominees of United Senior Citizens Party-list, expressed in an interview recently.
Economists predict that the country’s population will fall under the “aging” category few years from now and this is something that should be taken into consideration by the next administration as this will have a big impact in the county’s stability.
With the impending growth in numbers of aging Filipino or the senior citizens, United Senior Citizens Party-list believes that it’s high time the government enhances its programs for the seniors that will ensure their safety, protection, welfare, and economics.
While he and his co-nominees recognize that the government has sufficient policies that accord older people services and care they need, but only a handful of them are being implemented.
He cited the hapless conditions of senior citizens who have been isolated, neglected, and overlooked during the onslaught of the pandemic in the last two years.
Ignacio also expressed concerns about the state of millions of senior citizens who are still reeling from a great deal of deprivation in the last two years.
“They are at higher risk of the more serious complications of COVID-19. We have been coordinating with the barangays and families of older people and those who have been affected by the virus so we can determine how best we can support them,” averred Ignacio.
The group stressed the necessity for all citizens and institutions to work together to protect older people not just from the virus, but from discriminations, neglect and abuse.
The party list also emphasized that the next president has the duty to ensure their needs such as food, medicines, and interventions are duly met.
At the same time, Ignacio also called on the Filipino family to not forget their very important role in ensuring the wellbeing of the older people.
“Our beloved parents, grandparents and all the seniors need interaction. Their isolation has already caused them pain, now that were slowly getting back to normal, let us show them our love and affection. We all need to check in regularly on our parents, even senior neighbors, friends and show them that they’re and at the same time valuable members of our society.
The group believes that not only the government but as well as civil society can help improve living conditions of the senior citizens.
Amid these growing concerns among older people, the United Senior Citizens party list vowed to implement existing policies, enhance programs, legislate new laws if necessary, and collaborate with both private and public sectors to make sure the senior citizens are given compete care and services they need.
Currently, an estimated 8 million people aged 60 and above and around 4 million aged 65 and above account for an estimated 12 percent of the country’s ballooning population.
“We cannot ignore these data. The reality of a possible increase in the number of older Filipinos requiring long term care as the population ages must be confronted now by preparing human resources, facilities and institutional policies to provide the needed services,” Ignacio exclaimed.