Taking care of our senior citizens: Gesture of gratitude, not a handout

A proposal to grant all Filipino senior citizens a P1,500 monthly social pension through Senate Bill No. 215, or the Lingap Para Kay Lolo at Lola Act, filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros, is a long-overdue gesture of compassion and assistance.

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At its core, this measure is not just about economic assistance — it is a recognition of the nation’s debt to the men and women who helped build this country.

Currently, under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, only indigent seniors — those who are frail, sickly, or without a regular income or family support — are entitled to a P1,000 monthly pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This amount, unchanged for years, is hardly enough to cover even a week’s worth of maintenance medicine, let alone monthly living costs. That this amount is still limited to a small subset of seniors makes it even more inequitable.