Stressing the importance of recognizing the valuable contributions of the elderly to society and the country as a whole, Bulacan 6th District representative Salvador ‘Ador’ Aquino Pleyto Sr. has raised concerns over what he described as the digital and social exclusion of senior citizens in today’s policies in governance and is causing serious implications on their well-being.
As the oldest member of the House of Representatives, Pleyto decried the exclusion that disallows the elderly from government services, such as accessibility to several transactions and thus cutting them off from programed opportunities and benefits.
The 83-year-old lawmaker from Santa Maria m, Bulacan invoked the concern for the elderly of the late South African president Nelson Mandela, who said that “a society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future.”
According to Pleyto, “in this age of digital transformation (and modern technological advancements), many elderly Filipinos are left behind” and this has jeopardized their quality of life, especially during their so-called twilight years.
Bulacan’s congressman cited as example the ‘online’ transactions imposed by government financing institutions, like the Social Security System (SSS) for about 23 million private sector workers and the Government Service Insurance SYSTEM (GSIS) for 1.6 million government employees.
“Without assistance, many senior citizens are unable to access these services, cutting them off from opportunities and benefits that are rightfully theirs,” he pointed out.
He noted that many elderly members have to make sure that they have phones with Wi-Fi and have downloaded the apps of the agencies before they can receive their “reduced” pension.
“But how about the seniors who live in far-flung and very remote areas in the country that do not have cellular phones and can’t even get any Wi-Fi signal? Will this stop their pension? Or do they still have to go on a long trip to the provinces and cities if only to get their pension?” Pleyto queried incredulously.
He reminded colleagues in the Lower House that there is a growing resentment of discrimination among the elderly as many of them fail to receive benefits supposedly afforded to them due to inaccessibility for failing to keep with the fast pace of modernization.
“Their hands once toiled to feed the younger generation, their wisdom continues to guide, and their sacrifices made us what we are today,” he spelled out to underscore Elderly Week from October 01 to 7 while appealing to fellow lawmakers to act decisively to improve the welfare of senior citizens.
Describing many of the elderly as “living their twilight years in poverty, illness and neglect,” Pleyto pressed for stronger social protection and medical support for senior citizens, noting four key challenges they face: poverty, lack of access to healthcare, social neglect and digital exclusion.