ANGARA BATS FOR ANTI-SENIOR CITIZEN ABUSE LAW

"It is an honor to take care of the elderly. They bore their lives with dignity and endurance, and allowed us to be connected to our past. Malaking karangalan para sa atin na arugain ang mga nakatatanda tulad ng ating pagaalaga sa mga bata."

Senator Sonny Angara is pushing for the passage of a bill that aims to put an end to any form of senior citizen abuse by providing stiffer penalties and strengthening institutional support for elderly victims of abuse.

"Respect for our elders has been one of the hallmarks of Philippine culture and society. Sadly, incidents of senior citizen abuse still persist in our country," Angara said.

Today marks the last day of the Elderly Filipino Week, an annual celebration that emphasizes the important role that older persons play in nation building, which is held every first week of October.

"Our bill seeks to deter any form of abuse against our senior citizens by clearly defining what constitutes senior citizen abuse and providing stern penalties," the lawmaker explained.

Under Senate Bill 1012 or the Anti-Senior Citizen Abuse Act of 2016, senior citizen abuse refers to "a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to a senior citizen." Such abuse include:

1) Physical abuse - striking, hitting, beating, pushing, shoving, slapping, kicking, pinching, and burning, inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints, force-feeding, and physical punishment;

2) Sexual abuse - rape, acts of lasciviousness, sodomy, coerced nudity, and sexually explicit photographing and unwanted touching;

3) Psychological abuse - verbal assaults, insults, threats, intimidation, public ridicule, humiliation, mockery and vilification, harassment, and enforced social isolation;

4) Economic abuse - withdrawal of financial support, controlling or misusing a senior citizen's own money or properties, cashing a senior citizen's checks without authorization or permission, forging a senior citizen's signature, coercing or deceiving a senior citizen into signing any document, and the improper use of conservatorship, guardianship, or power of attorney;

5) Neglect - failure of the responsible to feed, provide shelter to health care, or protection to the senior citizen.

Physical abuse, resulting to serious physical injuries; sexual abuse, except rape; and, psychological abuse will be punished by prision mayor or six to 12 years imprisonment.

Economic abuse will be punished by prision correccional or six months to six years imprisonment, while neglect will be punished by arresto mayor or one month to 6 months imprisonment.

"It is our duty to provide proper and adequate protection for our over six million senior citizens. It must be stressed that senior citizen abuse is not a private matter but a public and serious one which should be a concern of the entire society," said Angara, one of the authors of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act.

A recent news report cited a study by the University of the Philippines which showed that children of the elders rank highest in number in terms of perpetrating the abuse, followed by spouses and then grandchildren.

The report also noted that most elders were being abused by their children while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Thus, SB 1012 mandates the establishment of a senior citizens help desk to provide immediate assistance to the victims of senior citizen abuse.

"Our measure also aims to provide institutional support to victims of senior citizen abuse with the hope that a more participative involvement of the society will afford our senior citizens more protection," the senator said.

Such support for the victims include temporary shelters, counselling, psycho-social services and recovery, rehabilitation programs, and livelihood assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the local government units.

"It is an honor to take care of the elderly. They bore their lives with dignity and endurance, and allowed us to be connected to our past. Malaking karangalan para sa atin na arugain ang mga nakatatanda tulad ng ating pagaalaga sa mga bata," Angara said.