Special programs urged for elderly during lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — Special programs need to be implemented for households composed mostly of senior citizens as they are highly vulnerable to the coronavirus disease, according to the economic research center of the Ateneo de Manila University.

In a policy brief titled “Special Programs Needed for the Elderly and Elderly Households,” the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) defined such households as those composed sorely of persons aged 60 and above or those with only seniors and minors below 15 years old as members.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are between 700,000 up to 800,000 households in Luzon where a severe enhanced community quarantine is enforced in an effort to arrest the spread of COVID-19 disease.

Out of these, around 100,000 up to 250,000 households are the poorest in the country.

To limit the exposure of such households, ACERD said food and medicine aid must be delivered directly to these houses. This will also lessen the exposure of minors who will otherwise have to go out to buy food.

“Low-income elderly households should be prioritized in particular and provision of food and groceries should take into account the members who are minors. Delivery can be done by barangay officials,” said the brief.

If the elderly in such households become ill from COVID-19, assistance should be continued for the minors in the household. Should they pass away, financial assistance should be provided to the bereaved family.

Local social pension payout for indigent senior citizens should also be given in advance to help them cope with economic stresses.

ACERD said the office of Senior Citizen Affairs which has presence in every city and town in the  country should be mobilized to help barangay officials in identifying elderly households.

The needed funding for these programs can be sourced from the disaster/calamity funds of the local governments where the senior citizens reside, as there is a provision in the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or Republic Act 9994 providing for such.