Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday expressed support for the passage of two pending bills in Congress that will give protection and care to elderly Filipinos, who comprise 6.8 percent of the general population.

Robredo was the guest of honor at the Elderly Filipino Week celebration held at the Quezon City Hall, where she emphasized the need for a “comprehensive older people’s rights in our country.”

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Nearly 200 senior citizens joined the opening program for their day-long forum with local government officials.

The Vice President said the Elder Abuse and the Social Security Pension hike bills are two proposed measures before the 17th Congress that will show that while the country has made “big strides in giving services to our senior citizens… we should not stop and be content with what we have.”

“When this bill is passed, you can expect immediate, short-term emergency services from government, such as providing shelter, food, and even free legal services,” Robredo said.

She said that the Elder Abuse bill would provide a “holistic approach” in elderly care, responding to several kinds of abuse often experienced by senior citizens, including neglect by their families.

“When this bill is passed, you can expect immediate, short-term emergency services from government, such as providing shelter, food, and even free legal services. This was, we will not only raise the level of awareness when it comes to basic knowledge on elderly abuse. We can also bring free public services closer to you. Life should not be made hard for you,” Robredo said.

She also threw her support behind the passage of the SSS pension hike bill, receiving a resounding applause from her audience. The bill proposes to increase the SSS pension to P2,000 for every senior citizen beneficiary.

Robredo said a reliable source of funding would be important to sustain the program.

This, she said, was the problem encountered by the bill in the 16th Congress, when she was still Naga City representative. CBB/rga

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