Universal Social Pension: Helping senior citizens age with dignity

In Filipino culture, caring for elders is not merely a social obligation—it is a moral one.

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From childhood, Filipinos are taught paggalang sa nakatatanda, or respect for those who came before us. Our grandparents and parents are seen as pillars of wisdom, sacrifice, and memory. Yet for all this reverence, many senior citizens today face old age with anxiety rather than security-counting coins for medicine, relying heavily on children who are themselves struggling, or continuing to work despite failing health.

The proposed Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens seeks to correct this. The House Special Committee on Senior Citizens' approval of the committee report and substitute bill is a crucial step toward recognizing that senior citizens need the support of government to help them live with dignity.

Under the existing system, only indigent senior citizens are eligible to receive a monthly social pension of P1,000. Those who receive pensions from the Social Security System (SSS) or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) are automatically excluded, even when these pensions are insufficient to cover basic daily and medical needs.