Hi Zhern thanks for the article Singapore share the same plight tradition of supporting elderly parents is under strain as waning filial piety, rising individualism Asia's elderly can no longer rely so much on their children to take care of them, said Ms Kanwaljit Soin, president of Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully, a Singapore support group. 'The elderly in Asia have traditionally relied on filial resources for old-age support, but the extent to which they can continue to do so has become increasingly uncertain,' she told the Ageing Asia Investment Forum in Singapore. All road led to Rome and modern "progress"
Article by Zhern
MANILA, Philippines - The reaction may at once be negative and jolting - even disheartening - but if you think about it, the whole thing could be liberating to all concerned. Still and all, it depends on how you look at it. I am referring to House Bill 1514 the Elderly Support Act, which seeks to provide mandatory family support for the elderly members of the family who are in dire need of assistance. The bill, authored by Rep. Augusto Syjuco of Iloilo, is meant "to put an end to the sad plight of elderly members of the community.
" That is a noble gesture, of course, but it provokes an immediate question: Must a clear family obligation to aging parents be prodded by a law? The elderly under the proposed measure, are those aged 60 years old and above, said to be today's fastest growing population group in the country. Clearly, the bill touches on the core values of family relations that seem to be loosening in light of the changing attitude in society. This is easily seen in the growing tendencies of family members, to be independent and detached from family affairs as much as possible. This is particularly true to the young professionals who are out to prove their mettle as, well, as young professionals. Thus, we see unmarried children living independently from their parents the moment they finished their education and find employment. Young people who have attained certain degree of self-confidence invariably want to prove they can make it alone on their own. And many of them succeed, in the process eroding, perhaps without being conscious of it, the old family ties that bind them. Thus, we see today more and more old people left to themselves even as their children tend to their own separate families devoid of any obligation to their parents in their old age. House Bill 1514 seeks to address the plight of the elderly "by mandating and legally obliging the family members - legitimate or otherwise - to provide financial support to the elderly members of their family," the bill's author says. Boboy Syjuco explained that under his bill, the Social Welfare Dept. will have the "obligation to provide the elderly a lawyer from the Public Attorney's Office and to represent the needy elderly in filing the petition in court for maintenance and support from any or all his or her children." Before enforcing the provision, however, the court is required to consider first the financial capability of the children.
Even so, it is crucial that such human problem is given serious attention, otherwise the neglect could spell doom to that unrewarded and hapless segment of our society - and affliction to those mindless children who ignore them. * * * Mercy and peace and charity be given to you in abundance. - The Epistle of St. Jude (zhern_218@yahoo.com)
