Lowering of senior citizen age to 56 sought

MANILA, Philippines – A party-list congressman is asking Congress to lower the senior citizen age from 60 years to 56 years.

In Bill 6340, Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe said lowering the age requirement for senior citizenship would mean lowering the optional retirement age for employees.

“The rational behind the proposal is the fact that at 56, people are already experiencing age-related ailments. There is thus a need to grant them the benefits and special privileges being enjoyed by senior citizens under the law,” he said.

Batocabe said allowing government and private sector employees to retire early would also give them the opportunity to enjoy retirement at a younger age.

He added that people’s lifestyles these days make them vulnerable to sickness even while they are young.

Batocabe pointed out that his proposal to lower the senior citizen age would be considered with the retirement age of 56 in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

He noted that in the rest of the bureaucracy and in the private sector, the optional retirement age is 60, while the mandatory retirement age is 65.