Solon wants assistance for widowed persons

A lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to provide temporary financial assistance to widowed persons, along with psychosocial counseling, livelihood support, and priority access to social services for indigents.

Under House Bill 5395 or the Widowed Persons Assistance Act, Quezon City District V Representative Patrick Michael “PM” Vargas seeks to provide assistance to those widowed, many of whom are senior citizens working to rebuild after the loss of their spouses.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Vargas noted that 4.5% of the total household population are widowed persons, majority of whom or 76% are women.

“Ang mga nabalo ay isang espesyal na sektor ng ating mga senior citizen na kailangang kilalanin at alagaan,” Vargas said in a statement released Sunday.

“Hindi natin sila hahayaang magluksa nang mag-isa, bagkus ay ihahanda natin sila sa hamon ng pagkawala ng kanilang katuwang sa buhay,” he added.

(The widowed are a special sector among our senior citizens who must be recognized and cared for… We will not let them grieve alone. Instead, we will help prepare them to face the challenges of losing their life partner.)

While provisions of the bill are expected to benefit the elderly the most given their limited capacity to seek new employment and livelihood opportunities, Vargas said the measure will cover all widowed persons regardless of age.

“Ang panukalang ito, kung maisabatas natin, ay hindi lamang magbibigay ng bagong pag-asa sa ating mga senior citizen. ito rin ay paraan ng ating gobyerno upang iparating na nakikita natin sila, pinahahalagahan natin sila, at mananatili tayong kasama nila sa kanilang mga huling taon,” Vargas said.

(This proposed measure, should it be passed into law, will not only give new hope to our senior citizens. It will also serve as our government’s way of showing them that we see them, we value them, and we will continue to stand by them in their remaining years.) — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News