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Z-FACTOR - Joe Zaldarriaga - The Philippine Star
June 19, 2025 | 12:00am
A landmark bill that could have transformed the lives of over nine million Filipino senior citizens failed to pass before the 19th Congress adjourned. House Bill 10423 sought to provide a universal social pension of up to P1,000 monthly to all seniors regardless of income.
At present, only indigent senior citizens are eligible for a P1,000 monthly pension under Republic Act 11916. The proposed legislation seeks to expand this coverage to all elderly Filipinos, granting P500 per month to those aged 60 to 69, and P1,000 monthly to those aged 70 and above.
This proposed law would have expanded the current pension system beyond indigent seniors, offering a safety net amid rising living and health care costs. Despite the advocacy surrounding it, the measure stalled.
It’s quite a profound loss for a country that proudly upholds respect for its elders. The social benefits and government support this bill could have delivered fall far short of what’s needed to ensure our senior citizens live with dignity, security and comfort in their later years.
The delay in passing this bill is more than just a legislative casualty, it’s a missed opportunity to build a more compassionate and inclusive future for our aging population. As the number of senior citizens continues to rise, the urgency to act grows stronger. We must move beyond symbolic respect and translate it into tangible support.
As of 2020, there were some 9.2 million Filipinos aged 60 and above in the country according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)—equivalent to around 8.5 percent of the total population. However, this figure is expected to continuously rise and by 2055, the PSA projects senior citizens to comprise around 20 percent of the total population—more than double their current share.
Providing better financial support to senior citizens is not just a matter of policy, it is a matter of dignity and respect. After years of contributing to society and paying taxes, our senior citizens should not have to beg for basic support.
I am sure that this is something that resonates with every Filipino who has an aging parent, grandparent or elderly relative.
Younger generations—millennials and Gen Zs—have become increasingly aware of this lack of social and economic support for senior citizens in the Philippines. In fact, a recent study by an insurance firm showed that for both millennials and Gen Zs, building financial security is a top priority, with the former placing a strong emphasis on saving up for retirement.
While such a mindset is laudable in terms of financial independence, this can also be viewed as a generational response to the lack of social, financial and health support for senior citizens, prompting younger generations to build financial self-reliance as a form of protection.
As a senior citizen myself, I now witness and experience firsthand the gaps in our country’s social support system for the elderly, and I share the call for improvement to allow my fellow senior citizens to live their remaining years with dignity and the security they deserve.
Pensions are just one aspect of support for elderly Filipinos. Adequate support is also needed to ensure better access to basic needs, health care, public transportation and other social services. Systematic changes should be implemented to ensure that development is inclusive not just for senior citizens but for other vulnerable sectors of our population as well.
In the upcoming 20th Congress, I call on our lawmakers to include the welfare of senior citizens in their priority legislative calendar. They have contributed to the development of the Philippines for decades and the least that this country can do for them is to let them spend the remainder of their lives in peace- free from anxiety of coping with rising costs of living and worrying about access to healthcare.
Investing in our elders today means securing a more dignified, equitable tomorrow- for them and for the generations that follow. Providing our senior citizens with quality social support is one of the best ways to uphold our culture of respect for elders which makes us proud to be Filipino.
