Marcos launches 5-year plan to address seniors’ needs

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government yesterday launched a five-year development plan to address the needs and challenges faced by Filipino elderly.

The Philippine Plan of Action for Senior Citizens (PPASC) 2023-2028 aims to create an “inclusive” and “age-friendly” society, according to the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC).

There are an estimated 9.2 million senior citizens, or Filipinos aged 60 and above, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2020 survey.

“This time we realize that maybe we should count the blessings, we should look at senior citizens as a vast reservoir of skills expertise, knowledge, wisdom,” said NCSC chairman Franklin Quijano.

The PPASC also seeks to promote financial security and digital literacy among the elderly.

At the 42nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia in May, President Marcos called on his counterparts to prioritize measures that would address the region’s aging population.

Marcos noted that one in four people in the Asia Pacific will be over the age of 60 by 2050.

“I think therefore it is time that ASEAN should start discussing the concerns of an aging population, consistent with the ASEAN tradition of valuing our elders,” Marcos said.

The NCSC is pushing amendments to Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, particularly on senior citizens’ discounts on medications, water and electricity, among others.

The commission is also backing the passage of the Anti-Elder Abuse bill.