An umbrella organization promoting the interest of senior citizens has endorsed the reelection bid of Senator Sonny Angara, whom it describes as a “true champion” in the Senate of the rights and welfare of the Filipino elderly.
In a statement of support, the Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc. (COSE) said that for many years, Angara “has proven himself to be an ally of the elderly and has assured us that he will continue to work to produce more meaningful measures not just for the benefit of all senior citizens but for every Filipino as well.”
“As we push for a universal social pension in the next Congress, Senator Sonny Angara will be instrumental in this endeavor. Therefore, the Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc. wholeheartedly gives our support to the young legislator,” COSE added.
“The Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc. wholeheartedly gives our support to the young legislator.”
COSE is comprised of 450 member-organizations across the country dedicated to advancing the welfare of senior citizens.
Meanwhile, Angara expressed gratitude to COSE for endorsing his candidacy, as he vowed to continue forwarding the interest and welfare of millions of Filipino senior citizens if he gets elected for another six-year term.
“Nakatataba po ng puso ang suporta at tiwala ng ating mga nakatatanda. Bilang ganti, makakaasa po kayo na patuloy kong isusulong ang mga karapatan at kapakanan ng ating mga minamahal na senior citizen,” said the lawmaker, who is running under the platform “Alagang Angara.”
The senator, one of the authors of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act and the Universal Social Pension bill, is the son of the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, who is known as the “Father of the Senior Citizens Law” which grants a 20 percent discount and other benefits to seniors.
According to COSE, Angara “has truly lived up to the legacy of his father–the original champion of the elderly and the author of the original Senior Citizens Act of 1993.”
“The senator has truly lived up to the legacy of his father.”
The young Angara himself has authored and sponsored several measures which have become laws of the land. Among these are Republic Act 10868 or the Centenarians Act that provides for cash gifts to 100-year-old Filipinos and RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 which provides for the 12-percent value-added tax exemption and social pension for indigent senior citizens.
In the recent Congress, he filed Senate Bill 1865 which seeks to double the amount of social pension from P500 to P1,000 and expand the coverage to include all poor senior citizens and those without pension.
Angara also filed SB 1012 providing stiffer penalties and strengthened support for elderly victims of abuse.
He also authored SB 2159 creating the National Commission of Senior Citizens, a government agency devoted to attending to the needs and concerns of senior citizens.
