As we mark the International Day of Older Persons, we express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to our elders for raising our families as they continue to provide guidance and wisdom in our communities.
Currently, our Filipino senior citizens are entitled to a 20-percent discount on goods and services, priority queuing and parking, and free movies in cinemas, among others. But more than these tokens, what they truly deserve is a roadmap to a comfortable and dignified life.
Let us not fall short on giving back to our elders the care and protection they deserve for their sacrifices that have paved the way for us to live a better life. Let us continue working together in guaranteeing that our elders have free and expanded medical services, decent shelter and livelihood, improved mobility and accessibility, and a government and society that is truly responsive to their needs and concerns.
It is with this spirit of thanking and honoring our elders that I pushed, as principal sponsor and co-author, for the National Senior Citizen Commission Bill in the Senate that has already been enacted into law. Signed last July 25, Republic Act No. 11350 creates the National Commission of Senior Citizens composed of heads of different government agencies dedicated solely in handling the concerns and promoting the rights and welfare of our senior citizens.
It is clear: We need to empower our elders in order to ensure that the important lessons from our history are not forgotten, and the traditions of good values and principles are upheld.
Having just turned 60 this year, rest assured that I will never waver in protecting the rights of our countrymen, especially the marginalized sector, and in guiding the younger generations to bequeath to them a just, decent, and peaceful society. (senate.gov.ph)
