CHR calls for passage of bill penalizing abuse of elderly

Meanwhile, de Guia said the weeklong celebration aims to give recognition to the importance of fostering love and care for the elderly. (Shutterstock photo)

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) called for the passage of House Bill 7030 or the Anti-Elder Abuse Act, which seeks to protect senior citizens from any kind of abuse, as it slated activities for the annual Grandparent’s Week celebration from March 11 to 18.

In a statement on Wednesday, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said the commission hopes that the “government will be able to continuously sustain its efforts in caring for the elderly.”

She said the bill pushes mechanisms for legal, social and moral redress to penalize individuals who abuse senior citizens.

Meanwhile, de Guia said the weeklong celebration aims to give recognition to the importance of fostering love and care for the elderly.

“There’s a need to inculcate in the minds of the youth the importance of giving honor and respect to our ‘lolos’ and ‘lolas’ who play important roles in our society,” she said.

She said the government, alongside the international community, has made recent strides to promote and protect the rights of the elderly.

“The Commission, thus, lauds the efforts of the Philippine government in the passage of the Republic Act 11350 or the National Commission of Senior Citizens Act — which creates the National Commission on Senior Citizens to ensure the full implementation of laws and programs concerning senior citizens — and President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 104 which sets a maximum drug price ceiling (MDRP) for at least 87 drug molecules, or the combination of medications within a single capsule,” she said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC), she said, proves the country’s commitment to bolster the social services afforded to the elderly.

The House of Representatives on February 4 has unanimously approved the proposed law on third and final reading.

The measure this seeks to punish individuals with jail time and fines for abuses against senior citizens that range from physical, psychological, economic, sexual, and neglect and abandonment.

The Grandparent’s Week is being observed under the Proclamation 757, series 1996.