House passes bill penalizing abuse of elderly

The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading the measure which seeks to promote and further protect the rights of senior citizens.

With 176 votes in the affirmative and zero negative, the chamber approved House Bill 7030, or the proposed "Anti-Elder Abuse Act" which primarily aims to protect senior citizens from violence.

Under the measure, considered abuse against senior citizens include physical abuse, psychological, mental or emotional abuse, economic or financial abuse and material exploitation, and sexual abuse or non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.

Neglect by refusal or failure to fulfill obligations who has responsibilities to provide care, and abandonment or desertion by leaving a senior citizen unattended are also forms of abuse against senior citizens according to the bill.

In order to further protect their rights, the measure provides that senior citizens may avail protection and legal assistance from the Public Attorney's Office of the Department of Justice or any public legal assistance office, as well as support services from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the concerned local government unit.

They may also avail legal remedies provided under the Family Code, and are entitled to actual, compensatory, moral and exemplary damages, among others.

Apart from this, the measure also mandates the DSWD, in coordination with the LGUs, to provide abused senior citizens with a safe place or a temporary shelter, counseling, healing, recovery, and rehabilitation services, as well as programs that will ensure their personal safety and security.

The Department of Health is likewise tasked to provide medical assistance to senior citizens.

Aside from this bill, the chamber on Monday also approved on final reading the bill that provides a 20-percent travel tax discount for senior citizens and persons with disability. —NB, GMA News