More elderly getting employed

MANILA, Philippines — More senior citizens nationwide are getting employed, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

Dominique Tutay of DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment revealed that the employment of seniors has increased in the last two years, not only providing added income to their families but also helping boost the country’s economy.

“Statistically an improvement can be seen in the number of employed senior citizen or those 65 years old and over. From 1.5 million in 2013 and 1.6 million in 2017, it went up to 1.8 million last year,” Tutay pointed out.

The senior citizens, she said, are commonly employed in supermarkets and department stores to welcome customers or as support staff.

“There are senior citizens who get hired as professionals because they could provide advice to companies,” she added.

Under DOLE regulations, senior citizens should receive a salary of not less than the prescribed daily minimum wage.

Tutay said private establishments are now recognizing the contribution of senior citizens and are no longer hesitant in hiring them. She noted that a number of private companies have recently forged agreements with DOLE and local government units on the hiring of senior citizens.

A number of senior citizens, she added, tried to participate in the DOLE-initiated job fairs to find employment. However, Tutay said, senior citizens are not the target participants of job fairs. To commemorate its 86th anniversary, DOLE mounted job fairs in Metro Manila with over 20,000 jobs offered to those wanting to find work.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lito Lapid is pushing a measure that would give those who are 60 years old or older a passport with lifetime validity.

In filing Senate Bill 1197, the lawmaker wanted to give the senior citizens ease and comfort, aside from sparing them from the rigorous process and long lines often associated with passport application and renewal. 

Lapid added that the measure would benefit senior citizens who live far away from city centers where the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) consular offices are usually situated.

“Care for the elderly members of our society has always been a virtue that is deeply intertwined with Philippine family and social life. And this has been clearly manifested with the myriad of laws and policies already in place that provide accommodations and benefits to our beloved senior citizens,” said Lapid in his explanatory note.

He pointed out that the benefits of the elderly – from retirement pensions to free medical assistance to discounts in goods and services to express lanes – should be provided with continuity.

“This is a reflection of the importance and significance we ascribed to our lolos and lolas who have worked for and took care of us during their prime years. This is a way of giving back for their innumerable contributions to the family and to the community as a whole,” Lapid said.

His proposal seeks to amend Republic Act 8239, otherwise known as the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, which provided that regular passports issued under this Act shall be valid for a period of 10 years.