Senior Citizens in the Philippines

What is it like living in the Philippines when you’re above 60 years old? What are the benefits? How will the society, the community, and your family treat you considering that you are now old and you may probably not be a part of the labor force or a contributor to the family’s finances? These are the questions people approaching their 60s may probably ask. Examining R.A 9994 and R.A 10645 will give us a bird’s eye view of the current situation, senior citizens have in the Philippines.
Under R.A 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and R.A 10645 a Filipino citizen who is 60 years old or above may apply for senior citizen card which will be issued by the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) in the city or municipality where the senior citizen resides (Gov.ph, 2015).  The benefits of having a senior citizen card includes a 20% discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services from all establishments, mandatory PhilHealth coverage, income tax exemption of minimum wage earners, some free medical services, and express lanes privileges.
The benefits enumerated in R.A 9994 and R.A 10645 indeed cover the basic needs of a citizen, ranging from food, leisure, and health to special lanes. However, most of these benefits are merely beneficial on the physical aspect of a human. Another factory that we also need to examine is the living arrangements of the elderly to better describe the current situation of senior citizens in the Philippines.
According to a study made by Abejo, a large percentage of the senior citizens are not dependent on their children. A possible reason, as cited by Domingo et al. (1993), is the strong attachment to one’s home and the desire to maintain autonomy. Moreover, the study also revealed that only a small proportion of senior citizens are living alone and it does not necessarily mean that they have been deserted by their children. However, he also concluded that if the poverty situation worsen, there will be a substantial number of senior citizens who will be living alone because it can be a burden for a family member to take care an elderly in the midst of poverty.
Considering these information, it is apparent how our society values senior citizens. Probable reasons might be because we have a concept of “utang na loob” and we have high regard for older people. Nonetheless, senior citizens in the Philippines can expect different benefits from the government and a society which will treat them with utmost respect and care. These are the qualities we, Filipinos, must be proud of.


References:
Abejo, Socorro. (2004). “Living Arrangements of the Elderly in the Philippines.” 9th National Convention on Statistics. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from http://nscb.gov.ph/ncs/9thncs/papers/population_Livi ngArrangements.pdf
Benefits for senior citizens. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2015, from http://www.gov.ph/services/senior-citizens/
Domingo, Lita J., M. B. Asis, et al., (1993). “Living Arrangements of the Elderly in the Philippines: Qualitative Evidence.” Comparative Study of the Elderly in Asia, Research Report No. 93-23. Ann Arbor: Population Studies Center, University of Michigan

SocSci10 Z Group 5


Enriquez, Ryan
Flores, Nathaniel Lorenz
Galido, Noel Joseph
Jimenez, Rica
Paican, Maria Luzviminda
Vergara, Bryan