Lapid bill to require senior citizen reps in local legislative councils

Senator Manuel "Lito" Lapid on Friday filed a bill that would require senior citizen sectoral representation in local legislative councils.

According to Lapid, his Senate Bill No. 1169, otherwise known as the "Act Providing for the Representation of Senior Citizens in the Local Sanggunian" would make use of senior citizen's wisdom.

“Ang ating mga senior citizens ay marami nang kaalaman at pinagdaanan sa buhay na maari nilang maibahagi sa ating mga sanggunian," Lapid said in a statement. "Gusto natin silang bigyan ng boses sa mga konseho upang mas marinig ang kanilang mga hinaing at gayundin nang mas maramdaman nila na sila ay nananatiling mga produktibong kasapi ng ating lipunan.”

The proposal mandates that there must be one senior citizen representative in every barangay sanggunian, municipal or city sanggunian, and provincial sanggunian.

The Senior Citizen Representative to the Sangguniang Barangay would be elected by the duly recognized association of all senior citizens in said barangay.

Meanwhile, the Senior Citizen Representative to the Sangguniang Bayan o Panglungsod would be elected by the senior citizen representative of all the sangguniang barangays in the said municipality or city.

The Senior Citizen Representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan shall then be elected by the senior citizen representatives of all the sangguniang bayans in the said province.

Filed on November 12, the bill was to be deliberated on the committee level. — Joahna Lei Casilao/DVM, GMA News