Bill wants children abandonment of parents declared a crime

MANILA, Philippines - Abandonment of the elderly by their children should be considered a crime, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Lacson lamented many seniors end up begging in the streets after they are abandoned by their children and, in extreme cases, due to lack of financial support.

“While government is doing its best in providing support in the form of food and shelter as well as enacting legislation like the Senior Citizens Act, it cannot be over-emphasized that taking care of the elderly members of society is not only the function of government, but rather a shared responsibility of government and the children of the elderly,” Lacson said.

“The care for the aged is neither an exclusively private matter to be left to the family nor an exclusively public concern best left to the government,” he added.

In spite of Filipinos being generally known for their close family ties, Lacson said there are many cases where the elderly receive no medical care and are incapacitated as a result of being left to fend for themselves.

“This happens despite our moral and natural obligation to maintain our parents who are in need of support,” he said.

Lacson filed Senate Bill 257 proposing what he calls the Parents Welfare Act, which would classify abandonment of a parent in need of support as a criminal act.

Under the bill, elderly parents may file a petition for support before a court, especially if their prior requests are denied or not acted on by their children.

Once it handles a case, the court may order the payment of a lump sum, a monthly allowance or periodical payment, taking into consideration the circumstances of the parties.

If the parent concerned has several children, the support shall be divided among them in proportion to their resources or financial capacity.