WE DIDN’T hear this during the President’s State of the Nation Address: Our country should brace for a paradigm shift in demographics. Our ageing population is growing.
The number of people aged 60 and above is expected to grow this year, latest projections from the Commission on Population show. The number of elderly or those over 60 years old is projected to increase by 0.23 percent over 2017 and will most likely be over eight million by the end of the year.
Population ageing is poised to become one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century, with implications for nearly all sectors of society, including labor and financial markets, the demand for goods and services, such as housing, transportation and social protection, as well as family structures and intergenerational ties. According to data from World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, the number of older persons — those aged 60 years or over — is expected to more than double by 2050 and to more than triple by 2100, rising from 962 million globally in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050 and 3.1 billion in 2100. Globally, population aged 60 or over is growing faster than all younger age groups.
In our country, it is imperative that we institutionalize improved geriatric healthcare, economic participation, social protection, and greater community engagement for the elderly. Four pending bills in Congress actually address these. They have a direct impact on the health, opportunities, protection, and empowerment of our nation’s growing elderly population.
Recent leadership changes in Congress – both in the Senate and House of Representatives – could serve our elderly well if these bills are given priority: House Bill (HB) 06448 or the Philippine Geriatric Center Act; HB 05038 or the Universal Social Pension Act; HB 07030 or the Anti-Elderly Abuse Act; and HB 06251 or the National Senior Citizens Commission Act
Senior citizens make up the most vulnerable sectors of our society, and yet is one of the fastest growing demographic. Without institutionalizing laws that would uphold the dignity and decency of their way of life in the present, it may be harder for our State to mitigate the impacts of the ageing population in the future.
Older persons are increasingly seen as contributors to development, whose abilities to act for the betterment of themselves and their societies should be woven into policies and programs at all levels.
It is hoped that these proposed measures vital to the lives of our millions of senior citizens will also be considered as priority measures. After all, many of our nation’s leaders are senior citizens themselves, starting with our President.
