Ping: Children must take care of aging, sick parents

MANILA, Philippines -  Sen. Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill mandating children to show filial responsibility to their parents who may need assistance when they grow old.

In filing Senate Bill 2819, Lacson lamented that despite Filipinos’ close family ties, some still abandon their elderly, sick and incapacitated parents to fend for themselves.

“We Filipinos are well-known for our close family ties. Because of this, we have the usual inclination to care for our elderly.

“However, there are elderly, sick and incapacitated parents who were abandoned by their children. The sight of abandoned elderly in our streets is now common. Children fail to provide the necessary support to their aging, sick and incapacitated parents. This happens despite our moral and natural obligation to maintain our parents who are in need of support,” he said.

Lacson said his bill aims to complement the Family Code, which imposes on Filipinos a legal obligation to support the elderly.

While the government is doing its best to provide support in the form of food and shelter as well as enacting legislation like the Senior Citizens Act, Lacson noted that taking care of the elderly members of society is a shared responsibility of government and the children of the elderly.