by Mary Anne Quizon
Whoever thought that some lovely little children could one day turn into monsters and grab their aged parents belongings and properties to claim as their own?
The house representatives did right in passing bills on elderly protection.
The committee on population and family relations particularly recently approved several bills which seek to prohibit and provide penalties for elder abuse in the country.
Their goal was directed to assist the aged or elderly most of whom suffer abuse yet chose to keep silent and keep their sufferings hidden . Passing bills and enacting laws was the House initiative to get solutions to the elderlys’ varied situations.
According to one of said Bills the abuse usually remains unpublicised especially when “the perpetrators belong to their family”.
In a case study conducted in the University of the Philippines, “it was noted that children of the elders ranked highest in number in terms of perpetuating the abuse, followed by spouses, then grandchildren.” The most common elder abuse among all others constitute financial exploitation. This involves unauthorized use or transfers of elderly persons funds or properties.
Section 11 of the 1987 constitution provides that the State values the dignity of every human person , and guarantees full respect of human rights.
The State via their social security programs has protected senior citizens who are more prone to abuse due to their age and sometimes inability to provide for themselves.
The recent bill seeks to provide special protection to the elderly through the prevention and deterrence of acts inimical to the security and safety of our senior citizens.
It also “provides for legal remedies for immediate protection of senior citizens such as protection orders that the elderly may avail of. Furthermore, the State obligates itself to help all Senior citizens claim their rights so they can lead dignified and secure lives.
In her March 2013 treatise, Meg Lindayag have laid out and expounded on several Acts such as RA 7432, 9257 and 9994, all enacted to maximise senior citizens participation and contribution to the community and give them additional privileges and protection.
Meg opined in her conclusion that “aging should not be a standard on how they should be treated.” “Rather aging should mark the act of giving back to the older people the days of hard work and the contribution they have given to the society that we have today. “