Senator Win Gatchalian has called for the creation of local government-managed elderly homes amid a growing number of abandoned senior citizens in the country and the criminalization of abuse committed against senior citizens.
“Please look into the possibility of LGU-managed homes for the aged because we have noticed the rising instances of abandoned elderly,” Gatchalian asked the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) whose proposed budget for 2025 was recently taken up by the Senate.
“Please look into the possibility of LGU-managed homes for the aged because we have noticed the rising instances of abandoned elderly.”
“Dumadami ang abandoned senior citizens at nakakalungkot na nakikita natin sila sa kalsada,” the veteran legislator noted.
In the case of Valenzuela, where the seasoned lawmaker hails from, the situation was alarming, prompting the local government unit to establish its own home for the elderly, named Bahay Kanlungan.
The senator has already filed Senate Bill 950 or Homes for Abandoned Seniors Act, which seeks for the creation of nursing homes for the elderly to be operated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with LGUs concerned. Under the proposed measure, LGUs will be tasked to build these nursing homes.
He also called for support for Senate Bill 816 which criminalizes abuse against the elderly amid a growing number of reports regarding senior citizens being abused, exploited, and neglected.
“Kailangan nating tulungan ang ating mga kababayan na matatanda na napapabayaan ng kanilang mga pamilya.”
“I urge the commission to champion and help push the bill. Kailangan nating tulungan ang ating mga kababayan na matatanda na napapabayaan ng kanilang mga pamilya,” Gatchalian said.
“Studies have shown that elderly people who suffer abuse choose to keep it to themselves and prefer to suffer in silence,” he pointed out. In a case study presented by the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance, children of the elders rank highest in number in terms of perpetrating the abuse, followed by spouses and then grandchildren.
Gatchalian also co-authored a measure that expanded the coverage of the Centenarian Act and allowed the distribution of cash gift much earlier to citizens aged 80, 90 and 100 years old.
