Establishment of Aging Institute sought

MANILA -- A senator called for the passage of a bill creating the Philippine Institute for Aging to help meet the health and pension needs of the country’s senior citizens.

"While the number of Filipino elderly swells, our social safety nets - pensions, social security benefits, medical facilities and workforce, primary health care - weakens. Many Western countries are now facing these challenges and we must be prepared to meet them," Senator Edgardo Angara said.

Angara said the proposed institute under Senate Bill 2982 seeks to generate science and research-based solutions to guide policymaking on social, legal, economic and physiological issues surrounding aging in the country.

It will operate under the science and medical practitioners in the University of the Philippines-Manila and will be attached to the National Institute of Health.

The World Health Organization-Western Pacific Region (WHO-WPR) earlier warned that the Philippines' healthcare system should be ready to face the challenges that come with the rapidly increasing elderly population.

As of 2010, Filipino senior citizens reached 6.4 million, accounting for 6.8 percent of the entire population of 94 million.

Projections based on the national census show that by 2020, Filipinos ages 60 and older would number 9.7 million or 8.7 percent of the population.

By 2040, the elderly will total 19.6 million, making up 13.8 percent of the population, or triple compared to 2010. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)