Senior citizens: Retired but not tired

Of course, this all consuming concern for elderly persons (read: any resident citizen of the Philippines at least 60 years old) is not only about senior citizens as consumers but also as (still) productive members of society.

One retiree, who’d rather rock on the dancefloor than in a rocking chair, says, "First, you’re tired of working; then you’re tired of not working (and doing nothing)."

A 60something grandma, who admits she’s between estrogen and death, crisply notes, "They say you know you’re growing old when everything hurts and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work."

Well, it seems that there’s one other thing that doesn’t work in this country: The laws that are supposed to protect the rights of the elderly, specifically the Philippine Senior Citizens Act (Republic Act 7432). Section 1 declares, "... There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly (underscoring ours), disabled, women and children."

In line with this, this Act seeks, among other things, "to adopt measures whereby our senior citizens are assisted and appreciated by the community as a whole."

That all sounds good – in words, not in deeds. A lot of our elderly are sick and tired – literally and figuratively – of being pushed to the back burner (or to their graves).

"There’s a growing number of aging older persons whose needs may not always be met by the current network of provisions," asserts lawyer Zenaida Reyes, president of the Consumers Federated Groups of the Philippines. "There may be a need for some changes in law and practice which might better help to support and protect the interests of the older persons, which eventually will include the interests of all consumers today or tomorrow."

Actually, some elderly people would tell you that it’s not so much adding years to life that counts as adding life to their years. Recognizing this, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 18 principles for older persons in 1991. Among the highlights are: Older persons should have access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health care through the provision of income, family and community support and self-help. Older persons should have the opportunity to work or to have access to other income-generating opportunities. Older persons should have access to appropriate educational and training programs. Older persons should be able to live in environments that are safe and adaptable to personal preferences and changing capacities.

The UN minimum guidelines for protecting the rights of the elderly as consumers urge member nations, among other things, to provide special health care and services for older persons, monitor the pricing and safety of essential drugs and goods made available to older persons, and provide free and/or discounted medical and dental care.

And then there are the privileges which our senior citizens are supposedly entitled to by law. For the elderly out there who don’t know them and thus have not enjoyed them, here they are:

• The grant of 20 percent discount from all establishments relative to utilization of transportation services, hotels and similar lodging establishments, restaurants and recreation centers, and purchases of medicine anywhere in the country (provided that private establishments may claim the cost as tax credit).

• A minimum of 20 percent discount on admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses and concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure and amusement.

• Exemption from the payment of individual income taxes (provided that their annual taxable income does not exceed the poverty level, as determined by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) for that year.

• Free medical and dental services in government establishments anywhere in the country, subject to guidelines issued by the Department of Health, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS).

• Exemption from tax on interest earned by savings deposits in banks.

• Rebate on prepayment of loans and waiver of deferral charges.

And did you know that Section 6 of the Act provides that, "to the extent practicable and feasible, retirement benefits from both the government and the private sectors shall be upgraded to be at par with the current scale enjoyed by those in actual services"?

And that Section 9 of the Act states that "violation of any provision of this Act, for which no penalty is specifically provided under any other law, shall be punished by imprisonment not exceeding one month or a fine not exceeding P1,000 or both"?

If these provisions were strictly enforced, we would run out of jails to house the violators. We’ve also heard many a story of how some establishments have shown utter disregard and disrespect for the elderly. For one, our malls are hardly elderly-friendly – they lack even the basic courtesy of providing seats where older people can sit and rest when going malling with the family. Other than protecting the elderly’s human rights, society must treat senior citizens more humanely. For another, not a few senior citizens have complained of waiting in line to buy much-needed medicine in the drug store, only to be told that it’s out of stock (this usually happens in smaller drug stores, some of which flatly refuse to honor the senior citizen’s discount card because baka malugi daw sila. On top of that, an enraged senior citizen complains that the price of branded medicine seems to increase everytime she goes to the drug store. For instance, a drug for hypertension that she used to buy at P6 per capsule has gone up to P20 per in just three months, making her blood pressure shoot up. Of course, the drug store owners’ convenient excuse is that the suppliers have upped their prices so they have no choice but to increase theirs, too.

There ought to be a law against such grave, unconscionable acts/practices committed against the elderly. There ought to be a law against the non-enforcement of laws protecting the elderly. Or to paraphrase what the late President Ramon Magsaysay said, those who have less years in life should have more in law.

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For elderly concerns, call Atty. Zenaida Reyes at 912-0280.