Senate bill filed to lower age of senior citizens

By Javier Joe Ismael

December 6, 2022 420

SEN. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. has filed a bill seeking to lower the qualifying age to be legally considered as a senior citizen in the country, from 60 years old down to 56.

Revilla said that the bill is part of his agenda in championing social justice legislation that would benefit many Filipinos, especially "the least, the lost and the last."

The lawmaker added that Filipinos in this age group have been working for the benefit of their families.

"They are the ones who have contributed to the improvement of our economy. Their contribution could not be quantified," Revilla said as he highlighted the invaluable contribution of the elderly.

Senate Bill (SB) 1573 aims to amend Republic Act (RA) 7432 that defines a senior citizen as any resident citizen of the Philippines at least sixty (60) years old.

When enacted, all Filipino resident citizens at least 56 years old shall be considered as a senior citizen, thereby being entitled to the benefits that are due to be granted to them.

According to the data provided by the Department of Health in December 2022, 7.33 percent of Covid-19 cases among Filipino senior citizens resulted in death as compared to 0.76 percent mortality among those aged 18 to 59 years old.

Sen. Revilla files bill for movie industry

The Philippine movie industry is indeed one of the industries severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It became more difficult to produce and market Filipino movies due to the restrictions in place thereby affecting the film producers, movie theater operators, and patrons. And in spite of the recent reopening of cinemas in the country, many are still hesitant to watch films inside movie theaters due to the long stay inside an enclosed venue.

This challenge is compounded by the existing decline of movie ticket sales in the country due to the various online platforms that evolving technology made available.

Aware of these difficulties, actor and current Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. filed Senate Bill No. 28 which aims to revive the Philippine movie industry by providing fiscal incentives to the proprietors, lessees, and operators of theaters and cinemas.

The bill removes the different national and local taxes imposed on the said industry such as income tax, excise tax, value-added tax, and amusement tax.