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By Angelo Samonte, Reporter
While the government takes pride in the
relentless strengthening of the peso and the country’s impressive
economic, senior citizens must not expect any new benefits from the
government because “We can’t afford to much more for them.”
This is what Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita,
who is the President’s alter ego, veritably told The Times in an
interview.
The budget department announced the
administration’s plan to increase the salaries of government
workers in the second half of this year once the 2008 budget is
passed. But it has not mentioned giving additional benefits to other
sectors, particularly the retirees.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told The
Times the matter of giving adequate benefits to old people is
difficult to achieve.
He admitted that the government could hardly
give senior citizens enough support. He said the elderly will
always clamor for more aid because as time goes on and they get
older, the amount of support they need must be adjusted to their
worse conditions.
“It’s hard to achieve full satisfaction when
it comes to extending support to this particular group of people.
Their is a changing situation and the government has to balance
everything so every sector gets its share of the resource pie,” he
said.
But the good thing is: the government is looking
at the problem to have a good solution, he said. “We’re studying
it very carefully to address our inadequacies in this sector.”
In the meantime, he said, the existing senior
citizens law would have to suffice.
It could help the retirees although there are so
many things that need to be addressed, Ermita said.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done
not only for the senior citizens but also for our veterans. Me,
myself, I am having some problems in claiming my benefits as a
veteran. We still need to improve the system,” he said.
Asked if the Philippine government could adopt a
system of helping senior citizens similar to those in the more
industrialized countries, he replied it is difficult for the
government to have such system “due to lack of resources.”
“We’re not like the US, which can extend
more benefits to retirees in forms of assistance such as cash. The
Philippines doesn’t have the resources that can support a more
expanded program for old people,” Ermita said.
The government has specified the programs
and projects related to senior citizens and the differently-abled
persons based on the General Provisions of the General
Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2005. The government has
been using this appropriation act for its programs for the retirees
because the 2006 budget was reenacted.
According to this appropriation law, the
government, in support of the Philippine Plan of Action for Older
Persons for 2005-2009, all departments, bureaus, offices, agencies,
commissions, and state universities and colleges (SUCs) shall set
aside at least one percent of their total fiscal year 2005 budget
appropriations to fund the cost of implementation.
This is to done in coordination with the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In December 2006, President Arroyo said
strengthening the country’s health-care program for the elderly
through legislation, institutionalization and knowledge-sharing
could increase their life expectancy and make their twilight years
more enjoyable.
She said in her keynote address at the third
Okinawa International Longevity Conference which was held in Manila
last month.
She said that the Philippine population is
relatively young so government resources must be put into
health-care programs for the benefit of this population sector.
But the government should not only focus on this
young and productive sector of society, she said, and should also
channel its resources to the elderly through a stronger health-care
program for them.
She noted in that speech to the Japanese
audience of health-care professionals and elderly that only four
universities in the country teach geriatric care—the University of
the Philippines-Manila, University of Santo Tomas, St. Luke’s
Medical School and the Cebu Doctor’s Hospital.
The President then announced the release of P1
million for University of the Philippines in Leyte so it can have a
start up fund for the development of its geriatric care curriculum.
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