NCSC backs bill requiring companies to hire senior citizens

A government agency on Thursday expressed its support for the bill seeking to require companies to hire senior citizens.

Filed by former Social Welfare Secretary and ACT-CIS party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo and four others in August, House Bill 8972 states that 1% of the workforce of a private company with at least 100 employees must be senior citizens.

Incentives will be given to companies that hire qualified senior citizens, such as tax deductions from the senior citizens' compensation.

“It’s a very welcome development,'' said National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) Chairperson Franklin Quijano on state-run PTV's Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

“I would like to say that the senior citizens’ offer is very flexible, but I hope that management, businesses, and even the government will realize how experienced a senior citizen is based on his skills, his craftsmanship, and the experience he has,” he said. 

Quijano added that many senior citizens are looking for work to make use of their time.

“We are being compelled to stay and limit our movement dahil nagpupursige tayong mag-retire at 65. But there are lots of healthy and productive senior citizens na gusto pang magtrabaho,'' he said.

He also hoped that the beneficiaries would have insurance if the proposed measure became law.

''Sana po iyong makapagtrabaho ay covered ng insurance, and sometimes iyong mga civil service law, GSIS at SSS law tends to limit the coverage of the insurance. Baka puwedeng tingnan ito,'' Quijano said.  — Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA Integrated News