By Alexander Villafania
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – A bill seeking to construct a shelter for the country’s elderly who are homeless is being pushed.
House Bill 4751, or the “Homeless Elderly Center of 2011”, would put up homes for the elderly in provinces. Tenants will be provided with living quarters, clothing, food, and medical attention. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will operate and maintain the centers.
The centers will be home to the elderly who have been neglected and abandoned by their children or other family members.
The author of the bill, Representative Catalina Bagasina (ALE Party-list) said the funding for the centers will come from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and other budgets from the General Appropriations Act.
Additional funding could also come from donations and grants from the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).
Bagasina cited provisions in the Philippine Constitution, particularly Article XV, Section 4 stating that the government is obligated to care for elderly members of the society through social security programs.
One law, Republic Act 9257 or the Expanded Seniors Citizens Act, allows for numerous privileges for senior citizens.
Bagasina also noted that there are at least 10 home care centers for the elderly in the Philippines, though these are not for free.
"Every abandoned and homeless elderly (person) deserves to be afforded the opportunity to live the most normal life possible, and each center will offer them the opportunity of living a decent life where their most basic necessities are met," Bagasina said.
The latest census showed that as of 2007, the number of elderly Filipinos (65 years old and above) is 4.1 percent or around 3.5 million of the population, which at that time was pegged at 88.7 million.
Likewise, there are 4.6 million poor families and the poverty incidence in the Philippines
is at 26.9 percent.
