Pasay City: Some 6,000 Filipino elderly, led by the United Senior Citizens party-list, gathered outside the Senate in Pasay City on Monday to press for the passage of House Bill (HB) No. 10423 which seeks to grant universal social pension to all senior citizens.

According to Philippines News Agency, the demonstration was spearheaded by United Senior Citizens Party-list Representative Milagros Magsaysay, who expressed the urgency of passing the bill. “May oras pa kung gusto ng ating mga mahal na senador na ipasa ito kasi nagpasensya, nag-antay ang mga nakatatanda na kusang aprubahan ng mga senador. Pero it seems na matatapos na lang ang 19th Congress, hindi naman nila ginagalaw,” Magsaysay stated in an ambush interview, highlighting the patience of the elderly who have waited for the Senate’s action.

The bill’s author emphasized that the House of Representatives approved the measure on May 21, 2024, and it was received by the Senate the following day. However, Magsaysay lamented that “Eight months na po sa Senado,” indicating the delay in the Senate’s action on the bill.

If passed into law, the measure will amend Republic Act 7432, or the Senior Citizens Act, which currently grants over four million ‘indigent senior citizens’ a PHP1,000 monthly pension from the government. HB 10423 aims to extend this benefit by providing around seven million senior citizens, who are not considered indigents, with a monthly pension of PHP500.

The proposed legislation includes a provision for a gradual increase of PHP100 over five years, eventually entitling all senior citizens to a universal social pension of at least PHP1,000, regardless of any other pension benefits they may receive. Additionally, the bill seeks to transfer the management of the universal pension for senior citizens from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to the National Commission of Senior Citizens within three years.