Kahalagahan ng universal social pension for senior citizens

PTVPhilippines

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Transcript

00:00Senior citizens have a big contribution to our society.

00:04That's why it's only right that they have adequate support for their aging.

00:09And that's why a press conference was held to give them the importance of their pension.

00:18Let's watch it.

00:22Despite the benefits received by senior citizens, it's still not enough.

00:27For example, the Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens Act or House Bill No. 10423

00:35approved by the Congress in May 21, 2024 is still not enough.

00:41In the press conference held, the importance of their pension was emphasized

00:46especially to the elderly who don't receive their daily needs.

00:53Do you know what the biggest problem in this consultation is?

00:59There are two major issues here,

01:03first, the health of the elderly.

01:07Second, if you don't give them their daily needs,

01:13it's not enough.

01:15It means that they don't have the basic necessities

01:19for their daily needs to eat.

01:23That's the problem.

01:25The Action for Pension Coalition is formed by several organizations

01:29including the Senior Citizen Council of National Anti-Poverty Commission,

01:34Confederation of Elder Persons Association of the Philippines,

01:38Senior for Seniors Association Incorporated, and many more.

01:44They aim to give them attention and give priority

01:48to the implementation of the Universal Social Pension Law.

01:52The aim of this program is to give a pension worth Php 1,000 or more

01:57to Senior Citizens 1-1

02:00so that they can sustain their needs in food and medical bills.

02:06Almost 11 million Filipino senior citizens

02:11await the enactment of the Universal Social Pension Law

02:16in order to survive,

02:18to buy medicine,

02:20to buy groceries.

02:23In the continuation of the Universal Social Pension Law,

02:27the Action for Pension Coalition will continue to fight

02:32for the rights of senior citizens

02:34until it becomes a law.

02:42Before we continue,

02:44to give us more information about the Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens Bill,

02:50we will have a live interview with Senior Citizen Advocate, Mr. Floro Francisco.

02:57Sir Floro, good morning and welcome to Rise and Shine Philippines.

03:00Good morning to all of your listeners.

03:04Good morning to you both, Daniel and Prof.

03:08Thank you so much for being with us this morning, Sir Floro.

03:10We want to know, what benefits will we get from the Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens?

03:16Why is it considered to be an investment and not an expenditure?

03:20Our situation is that we have 12 million senior citizens.

03:27There is now an existing social pension program

03:30where originally they were giving Php 500 only to indigent senior citizens.

03:37Recently, they made an additional Php 500, so there is now Php 1,000.

03:42But this is only benefiting around 4 million senior citizens.

03:46But we have 12 million.

03:48And there are still 800,000 that are waitlisted

03:52and they cannot enter the indigent.

03:55Okay.

03:56Their definition of indigent is very broad.

04:02There is no hope for them to live.

04:04They are sick, frail, and have no income.

04:08But there are so many Filipinos, senior citizens,

04:12who have no income.

04:15Okay.

04:16And the problem is, the selective choice of social pension.

04:23And of course, as you know in the Philippines,

04:26there are 800,000 that are waitlisted and they cannot enter.

04:31Okay.

04:32The truth is, there are a lot of people who are in need and cannot join the social pension.

04:36So our solution is, let's make it universal.

04:39Okay.

04:40And let every senior citizen benefit from it.

04:43And it will become an investment because?

04:45Well, that is what we are telling our political leaders.

04:50They should not look at the social pension as an expenditure.

04:54Okay.

04:55It should be considered as a social investment.

04:58It's just like what they are doing with the four-piece now.

05:01Four-piece is a social investment to help elevate the poverty level of our poor Filipinos.

05:11But there are a lot of poor seniors.

05:13So if you give them 1,000 or 500,

05:20it will also go back to the economy.

05:23They will buy medicine, they will buy necessities.

05:26So the money will go back to the economy.

05:28Or they can build a business.

05:30Yeah.

05:31So if there are some seniors who have entrepreneurial skills,

05:35they can use the 1,000 or add it to their savings so they can invest.

05:40And profit from the poor is a big thing, sir.

05:43Not everyone earns.

05:45Yes.

05:46What our leaders don't understand,

05:49they think that the SSS pensioners and GSIS pensioners

05:54can afford their living expenses.

05:57You know what they are receiving?

05:59Some of them receive only between 2,000 to 3,000 a month.

06:02But that's not enough to buy medicine.

06:05If you have maintenance medicine, where will you get the money to buy it?

06:10So for others, it's just a matter of saving.

06:14Sometimes, if they don't feel pain, they won't take medicine.

06:19But that's why it's called maintenance.

06:21If you maintain it, you won't have money to buy it.

06:23The 1,000 is already helpful.

06:25For example, your medicine is 6,000 every month.

06:27Precisely.

06:29Okay.

06:30And they don't increase the SSS and GSIS pensions.

06:34At least the GSIS pensioners, especially the recent retirees,

06:39it's a bit high.

06:40But for me, I receive only 5,000.

06:43I'm a GSIS pensioner.

06:45Where will I get the 5,000?

06:47Sir Floro, how is the status of this bill in the two branches of the Congress?

06:52And how much will the senior citizens receive if it's in the law?

06:57Okay.

06:58At the moment, the indigent have a social pension.

07:02They receive 1,000.

07:04What we're really asking for is at least 1,500.

07:08But they always say that they don't have money.

07:12So we agreed on how much you can give.

07:17So the lower house, on May 21, 2024,

07:21unanimously they have already approved this house bill granting 500 pesos

07:27to all senior citizens regardless of economic status.

07:31Unfortunately, that was more than eight months ago.

07:35It was transmitted to the Senate.

07:37And until now, the Senate hasn't made a hearing yet.

07:41They don't have a committee report yet.

07:43And so, as you know, the law won't come out if it's just a house.

07:47There needs to be a corresponding bill in Congress

07:50and then there will be a bicameral committee to finalize this.

07:55And we're running out of time.

07:57What's saddening is that this issue has been raised in 2016

08:01when the 17th Congress and the 18th Congress were discussed.

08:06In January 2022, I presented to the Senate committee

08:10several options on where to get the money because they always say they don't have money.

08:15But the irony now is the House of Representatives already approved the bill for 500,

08:21including sourcing and allocation of funds.

08:25And even the Committee on Appropriation have also approved this.

08:28Now we are wondering why in the Senate,

08:31why is the law being violated?

08:34What's wrong with us?

08:36The insect is more important.

08:39They gave us citizenship.

08:41They can't schedule our bill.

08:44We're feeling sorry because so many Filipinos are in need.

08:49Okay, in terms of how this could help the senior citizens here in the Philippines,

08:55what is the effect of the universal social pension on senior citizens

08:59who are not yet benefiting from the current system we have?

09:02Of course, it will grant them a lot of relief.

09:05Like what I said, to buy medicine, to buy their needs.

09:10You know, one of our big problems here in the Philippines is that many senior citizens

09:14are the ones who take care of their grandchildren.

09:18Many senior citizens left their children, their grandchildren, to the elderly.

09:24How will they live?

09:27They don't have a regular source of income, which is the case.

09:30Many senior citizens don't have a source of income.

09:34The government is thinking,

09:36there are children who are abroad, there are children who have good jobs.

09:41You know, the truth is, when you talk to senior citizens,

09:44not all children are kind.

09:47Not all children help their parents.

09:50Many senior citizens are left behind.

09:53And we don't have social protection systems, nor services,

09:57that will really give them adequate support.

10:01Our PhilHealth is already providing adequate services.

10:04We even got a budget.

10:06We even got money, P90 billion.

10:08And now, we have zero budget in PhilHealth.

10:11That subsidy, that's why the government is paying for it,

10:15for the treatment of senior citizens and the poor

10:20who did not join the PhilHealth contributors.

10:25So, the money subsidy that they are talking about,

10:28that is for them to pay as a social cost to senior citizens

10:32who have no source of income and have not contributed.

10:36They are hoping that they will get the savings.

10:43But that is ironic because the savings are not real.

10:47That money is a surplus because of inefficiency.

10:50PhilHealth did not implement the appropriate programs

10:54and many diseases are not covered.

10:57Okay.

10:58All right.

10:59I hope that some of our guests from the Lower and Upper House

11:04were able to hear this

11:05so that they can consider some of the things

11:07that were mentioned by Senior Citizen Advocate, Sir Floro Francisco.

11:11Thank you very much for giving us important information

11:15about the Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens Bill.

11:19Once again, we have Mr. Floro Francisco.

11:21Thank you so much.

11:22Thank you, sir.

11:23Thank you very much for this opportunity.

11:25And I hope that the Senators will have mercy on us

11:29and I hope that you will discuss this before the election.

11:34Don't wait for the election because we will vote before the election.

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Transcript

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