Social Assistance for Needy Senior Citizens

These photos shows the activities conducted prior to Otober 1, 2007.  There were several consultations conducted regarding social pensions in the different communities in Metro Manila.  Aside from the consultations, the COSE staff and the older people met with Under Secretary Alice Bala of the Deaprtment of Social Welfare and Development, Lawyer and chief of Staff of Senator Angara and Congressman Zialcita to discuss the social pension Bill.

 

Privilege Speech by Honorable Eduardo Zialcita

October 1 – International Day of Older People

 Aling Julie Morcoso is 67 years old and lives in Bagong Silang with her three grandchildren.  The mother of the children has remarried and left the three children with Aling Julie. Neighbors make native delicacies like bibingka and puto which Aling Julie sells. Sometimes she makes as much as 150 pesos a day.  For the children, this means they attend school when there is enough for pamasahe and baon and do not attend when there is no money.  It’s on and off, going to school.  The oldest boy is 13 years old and in the third grade.  Likewise the other two are much older than their classmates. Going to school is a luxury, food is the priority.

It’s not an unusual case.  There are hundreds of Aling Julie’s in the country.  You yourself have seen older people begging at traffic signals or on the steps of the Quiapo underpass.

 Yet, the Philippines prides itself on its respect and care of the elderly.  A popular saying has it that one can never fully repay the “utang na loob” to ones parents for the gift of life.  Golden Acres, the only large government facility for older people is full to over capacity.  Social workers at the institution remark that it is not unusual to find an older person on their door step when they open in the morning.  More dramatically, people will bring an older person that they “found wandering the streets” and out of compassion, have brought them to Golden Acres.  Yet, the wanderer and the bringers look very much alike…

What has brought us to these straits? Some suggest its the diminishing of cultural values, people just don’t care about older people anymore. While there is some merit to the argument, a more thoughtful analysis would find structural causes as main causes of the present crisis.

1. There are 3,000 people who leave the country every day, predominantly young women who are the traditional caregivers of older people.
2. In the recent past, the Philippines has experienced a massive rural to urban migration.  In 1962 the proportion of rural to urban was 75-25%.  At present, Cordaid, a funding agency in Netherlands has placed the urban population at 58%.  One can still see 80 years old working in the fields in Ilocos but will also notice the number of older men without any gainful employment in urban poor areas of Manila (women always have work – rural or urban!)
3. People are simply living longer than ever. Life spans have increased dramatically in the recent past and the present expectancy for women is 70 years and 67 for men (women outlive men in every countries of the world) A time will come soon when more people will be turning 60 than babies being born.  Older people are the fastest growing sector of the population and the elderly population in the Philippines will double within the next 20 years.

The concern about the welfare of older people is global.  189 nations (including a delegation from the Philippines) gathered in Madrid in April 2002 for the World Assembly on Aging and resolved to implement:

“Sufficient minimum income for all older persons, paying particular attention to socially and economically disadvantaged groups”  (objective2; #53)

Nearly every country in the world responded.  In Asia, Nepal, Vietnam, Macao, Hongkong and Brunei opted for universal cash transfers whereas countries like Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia chose means-tested cash transfers.  China and Korea have special programs for transferring aid to poor older people.  The leading NGO worldwide working with and for older people notes that only two countries in Asia have no cash transfer scheme bring implemented:  Indonesia where the legislation actually exists but is not implemented and the Philippines which holds the family as traditionally responsible.  It should be noted that the World Bank places the GDP for India at US$769, for Bangladesh at US$420, for Nepal at US$335 and the Philippines at US$1,297.  In the same report, the World Bank estimates that 46.4% of the Philippines population lives under the poverty line which they place at US$2 a day.  One would surmise that, given the vulnerability of older people, the percentage would be even higher.

 

Research conducted by Helpage International on two countries (Brazil and Tanzania) implementing a social pension shows some surprising results.  Aside from the most obvious result of improving the lives of poor older people and “putting the money where the mouth is” i.e. honoring in fact what the societies proclaimed as being prime values, the research also gave clear evidence of a positive impact in the reduction of poverty as well as social and economic development.  In addition the research also pointed to the fact that social pensions were both affordable and cost effective in delivering social protection for older people.

 

Fifteen years ago the World Bank published its panic research entitled “Averting the Old Age Crisis”.  Countries in Europe and Japan face both a shrinking population with a high proportion of older people, Japan already has a quarter of its population over 60 and Singapore pays people to have babies.

 

In a less dramatic way, the Philippines rides the same trajectory yet has the luxury of time to deliver social protection to the poorest of the poor among this most vulnerable sector yet, at the same time, encourage social and economic development. If Bangladesh, Nepal and India, countries economically poorer than the Philippines can care for their older people offering minimal cash transfers….

It may be time to put the “money where the mouth is” and make the highly touted respect for older people a reality.

 The Aling Julie’s are waiting.

 

The slides show the press conference and the mobilization during the International Day of Older People (October 1, 2007).  The media coverage was good.  Congressman Zialcita as the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives answered the questions of the press people.  Another press conference was conducted at the press office in the House of Representatives called by Congressman Zialcita.  700 older people went to congress to support Congressman Zialcita during his privilege speech.  The Speaker of the House asked the older people to stand up and be recognized. Finally the bill was filed in congress with House Bill number 2765.

 

COSE produced materials like t-shirts, ribbons, stickers, flyers, briefing papers to support the campaign.