LOWERING THE AGE OF

SENIOR CITIZENS

12 HUMSS A
Ms. Jessa Linatoc
Title: The Considerate Age To Be A Senior Citizen

Topic: Lowering the Age of Senior Citizen

Issue: Should the age to consider one as a senior citizen be lowered?
Stand: In Favor
Claims:
1. People at 55 or below will be able to receive their benefits without waiting for four more years.
2. Many citizens die before reaching the age of 60.
3. They will be able to have their wants and needs earlier.
Thesis Statement:
The age to consider one as a senior citizen should be lowered due to the reasons that people at age
of 55 or below will be able to receive their benefits without waiting for four more years, many citizens die
before reaching the age of 60, and they will be able to have their wants and needs earlier.
 The Considerate Age To Be A Senior Citizen

Once a teenager turns 18, they’ll become an adult. Once they reach 40 onwards, they’ll be labeled
as old. As time went on, more experiences occurred. Finally, once they reach 60, they'll be viewed as
senior citizens. However, Senator Ramon Revilla issued a bill which pertains to soon-to-be senior citizens
and senior citizens alike. Senate Bill No. 1573 seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 7432 which
defines a senior citizen as any resident citizen of the Philippines who is at least 60 years old. Instead of
deeming a citizen as senior citizen by the age of 60, this bill seeks to reduce it to 56 years old.

Especially now that the pandemic took a lot of people’s lives, Senator Bong Revilla filed this bill
with the thought of the elderly not reaching the age of 60. Many citizens viewed this as a good thing and
were fixated with the thought of having to get the 20% discount benefits four years earlier. However, the
fact that the government will instead suffer the loss of money in which case will be deficient for the
country. The Philippines is wealthy in terms of materials, minerals, and resources. Heritage, culture and
the history of the Philippines are one of the best assets of the country. Money on the other hand is not
earned well by the Philippines as one of the reasons behind this is the poor economic ability of the
responsible Filipinos. Even so, the majority of the Filipinos are in favor of this bill in which case will be
explained why later on. The age to consider one as a senior citizen should be lowered due to the reasons
that people at age of 55 or below will be able to receive their benefits without waiting for four more years,
many citizens die before reaching the age of 60, and they will be able to have their wants and needs
earlier.

During the pandemic, many were not able to reach the age of 60 and those who did reach it and
receive the benefits as per law didn’t even get to enjoy it to the fullest as their lives had shortened. As per
statistics, the life expectancy of the Philippines is 71 years old. With 12 years of the benefits, will they be
able to sustain the needs of their children and grandchildren? Not that it is a needed responsibility of a
grandmother or grandfather but the country is in a state of problems due to the said pandemic and many
more economic disasters. Also, the rate of unemployment in the Philippines is high and the many
requirements are one of the reasons why old citizens can’t earn much. To be able to have the benefits four
years earlier is like a dream for those who are in poverty. With the twenty per cent (20%) discount
benefits for medicine, transportation, and specific purchases or goods will be of help for those in need.

As mentioned earlier, the high rate of unemployment and the high demands of ability in the
Philippines is one of the major reasons why old citizens can’t work much. Additionally, the fact that the
technology in the country is getting more advanced and more developed, many will eventually be
replaced by machinery. With the country having more high tech machines that can do the jobs more
efficiently than human laborers, job opportunities for old citizens have declined. Although some
machinery is of great help for humans as it gives them less work, those who have limitations in their
bodies like children and old citizens are not needed in the workplace if there’s something more modern
and automation in place. If the job is declining and there’s less money to earn, the benefits are a fortune
for them.

The life expectancy of Filipinos dropped down to 71 years old just the year of 2022 due to the
heavy implication of the virus to Filipinos. Many were robbed of their lives due to many crimes and
viruses all these years. Not to mention the detrimental health of many citizens that are nearing old age. As
long as they get older, more and more diseases will come and go if proper medicine and hospital bills are
at hand. This is a reason why the benefit of 20% discounts should be given to those citizens who caught a
major illness at 60 years old and below. There’s no doubt that this is unfair to senior citizens who
managed to reach 60 years old and above but think about those who are in poverty and have nothing to
contribute to their families if they are in need. Really, Filipinos are born to be ‘makabayan’ and ‘makatao’
(patriotic and humane) which is why many senior citizens share their benefits to others or their families to
lessen the burden of their children instead of hovering it all by themselves. Additionally, those children
who sustain their parents due to some reasons like poor health will be able to alleviate the needed money
to give to their parents.

The age of 56 and below are still healthy and able to work, that’s what many people say.
However, there’s no doubt that the mobility and dexterity of people that age are getting poor as time goes
on. With those illnesses being caught by the body at the age of 56 and below, should they still wait until
60 years old to get the benefits for medical treatment and medicines? While others who had high potential
income to buy their needed medicine and treatments, those people who didn't eventually succumb to their
illnesses or did not have enough money to treat themselves.

Republic Act 7432 pertains to senior citizens who shall be granted twenty per cent (20%)
discount from all establishments relative to utilization of transportation services, hotels and similar
lodging establishments, restaurants and recreation centers and purchases of medicines, anywhere in the
country. With the earlier age requirement of the Senate Bill No. 1573, citizens of 56 above will get the
benefits and will be able to enjoy it to the fullest. They will be able to get their necessities and wants
much easier. Especially now that there;s has been high demands for certain things, they might be able to
purchase them with the discount. A popular demand as of now is the rise of price pertaining to onions due
to many reasons such as the shortage of supply of onions, smugglers, price manipulation, and external
force. The comparison of the price of onions to meat is about twice as much with meat at the price of 380
- 400 per kilogram and onions at the price of 600 plus per kilogram. This has devastated many FIlipinos
due to the importance of onions in their daily dishes.

With their needs and wants being limited due to poverty or other issues, it’s just right to give the
old citizens their benefits as they had helped the country during their working years even if the pay is low,
there’s no doubt that they are able to contribute to our country. With the help they gave to the country,
isn’t it fair to give them at least twenty per cent (20%) discount for what they need in their lives and
wants? The problem in this is the fact that there are still at least seventy five per cent (75%) Filipino
senior citizens that haven’t gotten their benefits until now. So, it’ll be unfair if those 56 years old and
above will get their benefits earlier than those who still don't have theirs at the age of 60 and above.

Lowering the age to consider one as a senior citizen will have consequences as many major
decisions have. There are some who will benefit and there are some who will feel inequality. To remedy
this, the researcher suggests that the government must first give the benefits to those at the age above 60
and those who applied for it first. If the bill were to be studied again and if it is declined, the researcher
suggests that citizens at 56 years old should receive at least six to ten per cent (6-10%) discount. And at
60 years old, give them the necessary twenty per cent (20%) so that even those 60 years old and below
will still be able to receive the benefits though halfway. Also, so that the government will not be heavily
burdened due to the massive loss of money.
References

Secretary of the interior and local government. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2023, from
https://dilg.gov.ph/PDF_File/issuances/republic_acts/RA_7432.PDF

Ragasa, F. Y. W. (n.d.). Explainer: Why onions in ph are now more expensive than meat. cnn. Retrieved
January 15, 2023, from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/1/11/High-prices-of-onions-
in-PH-explainer.html

Philippines. Philippines - Place Explorer - Data Commons. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2023, from
https://datacommons.org/place/country/PHL?
utm_medium=explore&mprop=lifeExpectancy&popt=Person&hl=en

Yu, L. S. (2023, January 12). Explainer: The rise in onion prices – and why late imports don't help.
RAPPLER. Retrieved January 15, 2023, from https://www.rappler.com/business/explainer-rise-
onion-prices-why-late-imports-do-not-help/

Mina, C. D., & Cacnio, F. Q. (2019, October 1-3). Are Filipino senior citizens financially protected?:
Evidence from Consumer Finance Survey 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
 Position Paper

Title: More Seniors, More Discounts, More Problems

Topic: Lowering the Age for Senior Citizens
Issue: Should senior citizens have a lower age threshold?
Stand: In opposition
Claim: Lower ages will be more expensive for the Philippines.
It is a sensitive topic for senior citizens and some don’t want to be tagged as “old”.
It would only lead to disappointment as senior citizen benefits are hardly given.
Thesis Statement:
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.
 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