A work in progress: The state of PHL policies for the elderly

THE elderly in the Philippines have traditionally received due care and concern from both the family and society, rooted from the long-held national attitude of reverence for the elderly.

For the longest time, older persons have relied on the other members of the household for sustenance, yet in the face of rapid urbanization, traditional family support systems have become insufficient and unreliable.

According to a study by the Asian Development Bank, older people today often find themselves “impoverished, neglected and deprived of access to essential medical and other social services.”

Notwithstanding the country’s rapid economic growth in recent years and the passage of new laws catering to the needs of senior citizens, the challenges and costs faced by the elderly population in the Philippines remain undiminished, if not exacerbated. The P500 social pension granted by the Philippine government for “indigent older persons” as mandated by the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010 remains insufficient to cover their basic needs.

While the age for the monthly stipend was lowered to 65 years old following the resolution filed by Sen. Pia Cayetano in 2014, the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010 requires the social pension to cover all indigent senior citizens aged 60 and over.

The full implementation of the social pension provision of the law is yet to be realized as Global Age Watch 2014 Index of HelpAge International, an international non-governmental organization devoted to supporting the rights of older people worldwide, reveals that only 28 percent of senior citizens aged 65 and above receive their social pension.

“The amount is still small and we’re still striving to increase that and also to increase the coverage,” Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) National Coordinating and Monitoring Board Unit Head Germaine Trittle Leonin admitted.

With a bigger budget allocation for 2016 as promised by the Department of Budget and Management and Congress, the DSWD aims to cover all indigent elderly aged 60 and above.

While the Philippines ranks comparably low in old-age social pension against its Asean neighbors, Leonin saidthe country bears a legislative advantage.

“We have a legal basis, we have the Constitution. That is my comparison to the other Asean countries. [The elderly] are not mentioned in their laws, in their respective Constitutions. There is no special mention [that they are] in need of special protection,” Leonin said.

The Philippines experiences no shortage of initiatives in addressing the issues of its aging population and entitling senior citizens to benefits and privileges. The 1987 Philippine Constitution echoes the national attitude toward the elderly: “The family has the duty to care for its elderly members but the State may also do so through just programs of social security.”

Even before its amendment, the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003 already granted a 20-percent discount from their basic needs and prime commodities. With the 2010 amendment, the law now mandates that all senior citizens are endowed with an exemption from value-added tax (VAT), a new addition to the benefits received.

“They were saying, ‘We’re not enjoying the full amount of the discount. We should not be charged with VAT.’ So it was removed, […] and they no longer experience the burden of paying VAT under those specific purchases,” Leonin said.

Together, the benefits made health care more accessible to senior citizens—from the purchase of medicine and drugs to medical supplies and equipment, professional fees of attending physicians and licensed health workers who provide home health-care services, and medical and dental services in private facilities.

Domestic land, air and sea transportation fare are also subjected to the discount and VAT exemption.

The benefits extend to accommodations and other amenities in hotels and recreation centers; admission fees in theaters, concert halls and cinemas, restaurants and similar establishments; and funeral and burial services.

In 2014 the Aquino administration landed a milestone in health care for senior citizens with the recent amendment of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. coverage dictated by the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010 with Republic Act 10645. The law expanded the mandatory PhilHealth coverage from indigents to all Filipino citizens aged 60 and above in the country.

The Philippines also ranks high in fostering capability among the elderly, as well as developing an enabling environment for them. Senior citizens are granted by the law the opportunity to pursue their education or continue employment. To be concluded, BusinessMirror