Position Paper

Title: More Seniors, More Discounts, More Problems

Senior citizens are vital members of the community; they are wise, they uphold the olden
traditions and culture and they are veteran contributors to the country. As people who have lived
in a very long time, they have the most experience in every situation, making them the best
givers of advice or mentors when faced with any kind of trifle matters. Senior citizens are the
links of the past, present, and the future as they have more experience from the past, live in the
present and are the best candidates to gauge the future of the world.

During the pandemic, a lot of people were not able to reach the age of 60, which was the
age of being a senior citizen in the Philippines. This considered, Senator Bong Revilla filed a bill
to lower the age of senior citizens from 60 to 56. At first glance, this can be considered good as
senior citizens must be honored for their contributions to the country. Since people fail to even
reach the age of 60 it would make sense to lower the threshold. This is also a way to pay
homage to the veterans of our society.

However, this approach fails to consider the existing problems of society as it solely
takes into account the benefits and not the consequences and limitations of the plan. Lowering
the age for senior citizens will be impractical as it will be more expensive for the Philippines, old
age is a sensitive topic for people, and would ultimately lead to disappointment as benefits are
barely given from the start.

Under Republic Act No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010,senior
citizens or all Filipino residents 60 years or older are automatically entitled to benefits and
privileges, as granted by law. This means that they get a 20% discount on food, medicine,
lodging and transportation, and while this is beneficial for them, lowering the bar would
undeniably implicate the business sectors. The Philippines is currently experiencing a shortage
of onions with its price reaching a staggering 600 pesos per kilogram. This is even higher than
the price of meat, which is detrimental as onions are one of the most common ingredients in
Filipino food (Sharma, 2023). With the lowering of the threshold for senior citizens, more people
would enjoy the 20% discount, which would then affect the sellers and the overall state of
economy. Additionally, with the limited funds of the Philippines, it is even harder to mitigate the
overall amount of what more senior citizens would cost.
 The term of being a senior came from utilitarian reasons which then became a social
construct rather than a definite biological stage. This means that the term senior citizens vary
from culture to culture, from places to places as it is something that is very subjective (Stannah,
n.d.). This implies that a person cannot simply define what a senior citizen is unless the person
in question considers themself to be one. Furthermore, old age is often associated with
weakness, fragility and uselessness, thus making it a sensitive topic for some people. This is
rooted from the ancient times when oldness is not characterized in age, but in the ability to do
work or contribute. A capable 40-year old would be revered, while a disabled person at the
same age would be tagged old, a burden and sometimes killed. This led to a stigma where
some people would deny themselves of their seniority to avoid the label of being useless and a
burden to society (Stannah, n.d.). Though this has improved over the years, some people still
prefer themselves to be called young, as youth is naturally more preferable with its social
implications.

Banton (2022) described third-world as an outdated and derogatory phrase that has
been used historically to describe a class of economically developing nations, which falls behind
first world and second world but is significantly ahead of fourth world. The Philippines is one of
such third world countries, which means that though the country is developing, it has yet to
reach the pinnacle of its success. This reflects how the Philippines is still unable to provide more
benefits for Filipinos. Statistically, 75% of Filipino senior citizens, who were economically
dominant persons in their households, were not covered by social security, specifically
retirement plans and a significant proportion of those covered had low retirement benefit level,
which may not be sufficient to cover their current and future level of consumption (Mina &
Cacnio, 2019). With the lowering of the age for senior citizens, more people would fit the criteria,
thus further increasing the percentage of the people unable to receive their benefits. This would
lead to more disappointment as Filipinos as of this age are already unsatisfied with the system
in the country.

On the other hand, supporters of this idea claim that despite the cost, this bill is
significant as it serves as homage to the people who have contributed to the country in their
prime time. Apart from this, they also consider the fact that senior citizens are less capable of
affording living expenses by themselves as their range of motion has deteriorated. Additionally,
aging is inevitable, it will come no matter how one denies it. Thus everyone will naturally fall into
the category of senior citizen. Lastly, despite the poor quality of the system in the Philippines,
senior citizens now have at least something to hold on to when they encounter something
unfavorable as they are better secured and protected by the law.

Lowering the age for senior citizens will only do more harm than good. It is undeniable
that the Philippines is not capable of having more expenses, considering the detrimental factors
it faces externally and internally. To remedy this, the Philippines must carefully think and gauge
the benefits and consequences of this bill lest the country is doomed to have its resources spent
on the notion of good but ultimately results in losses. It is also advisable to first focus on
increasing the rates of the seniors able to receive their benefits and privileges. Improving the
existing is always more favorable than making new half-baked policies. Only when the more
glaring factors are solved and remedied can new policies exist, and now is ultimately not the
right time.
References

Banton, C. (2022, June 8). Definition, Criteria, and Countries. Investopedia. Retrieved
January 14, 2023, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/third-world.asp

Mina, C. D., & Cacnio, F. Q. (2019, October 1-3). Are Filipino senior citizens financially
protected?: Evidence from Consumer Finance Survey [Slide show; PowerPoint].
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/7.4.2%20Are%20Filipino%20Retirees%20and
%20Would-be%20Retirees%20Sufficiently%20Protected%20Evidence%20from%20a
%20Household-based%20Survey.pdf

Sharma, A. (2023, January 13). Onions Are More Expensive Than Meat In Philippines. Here’s
Why. NDTV. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://www.ndtv.com/feature/onions-are-
more-expensive-than-meat-in-philippines-heres-why-3690479

Stannah. (n.d.-b). The Role of Senior Citizens Throughout History. Retrieved January 14, 2023,
from https://blog.stannah.com.au/society/role-of-senior-citizens-throughout-history/
#what-role-do-older-adults-play-in-society-today