Palace cites gov't programs for elderly amid push to penalize neglectful children
In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to prioritize elderly Filipinos as part of the country's vulnerable sectors.
'Marami tayong mga programa para sa kanila. May discount sila sa MRT at LRT, at tinuturing silang priority sa tulong,' Castro said.
The statement comes after Senator Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson refiled the 'Parents Welfare Act of 2025,' which aims to impose penalties on individuals who fail to provide support to their elderly, sick, or incapacitated parents.
If passed into law, children who abandon their parents may face imprisonment of six to ten years and a fine of not less than P300,000.
Asked about the Palace's position on the measure, Castro said the Family Code already mandates mutual support between children and parents, citing Article 194.
'May obligasyon ang anak na suportahan ang magulang, at ang magulang sa anak. Nasa batas na 'yan,' she explained.
Castro added that a thorough review of the bill is necessary to determine the validity of criminalizing children who neglect their parents.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Filipino Times
8 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Cayetano seeks bill to abolish travel tax to boost tourism
A bill filed in the Senate seeks to abolish the travel tax, which its author described as outdated and no longer aligned with the country's economic and regional goals. Senate Bill No. 424, authored by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, proposes the repeal of the travel tax imposed under Presidential Decree No. 1183, signed nearly five decades ago. 'It is high time to give travelers a break and allow for tourism to flourish by removing one of the barriers to travel,' Cayetano said. The senator said the measure aims to allow all Filipinos, including senior citizens and persons with disabilities, to travel more freely. He also cited studies estimating that while the government may lose around ₱4 billion in annual revenue, the country could gain up to ₱299 billion through increased tourism and consumer spending. Cayetano is also proposing to exempt nationals from ASEAN member states from paying the travel tax in line with the Philippines' commitment under the 2002 ASEAN Tourism Agreement, which calls for the phasing out of travel levies among member countries.
Gulf Today
8 hours ago
- Gulf Today
To satisfy Trump, GOP delivers blow to health industry
Doctors, hospitals, and health insurers for weeks issued dire warnings to Republican lawmakers that millions of people would lose health coverage and hospitals would close if they cut Medicaid funding to help pay for President Donald Trump's big tax and spending bill. But Republicans ignored those pleas, made even deeper cuts, and sent the legislation on July 3 to the White House, where Trump signed it the next day. The law's passage marked a rare political loss for some of the health industry's biggest players. When unified, doctors, hospitals, and insurers have stood among the most powerful lobbying forces in Washington and have a long track record of blocking or forcing changes to legislation that could hurt them financially. But health industry lobbyists are catching their breath and assessing the damage after Trump's massive bill raced through Congress in less than two months with only Republican votes. Several lobbyists offered various reasons for being unable to stave off big cuts to Medicaid, a $900 billion state-federal health insurance program that covers an estimated 72 million low-income and disabled people nationally and accounts for 19% of all spending on hospital care, about $283 billion a year, according to the latest data. But nearly all agreed that GOP lawmakers were more worried about angering Trump than facing backlash from local hospitals and constituents back home. 'Members were more scared of Trump issuing a primary challenge than disappointing local voters who may find their hospital has to close or their insurance premium may go up,' said Bob Kocher, a partner with venture capital firm Venrock who served in the Obama administration, referring to election primaries leading into the midterms. Consider what happened to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). After he took to the Senate floor to announce his opposition to the bill because of its cuts to Medicaid, Trump threatened to support a challenger to run against Tillis next year. Shortly thereafter, Tillis announced his retirement from politics. But other factors were at work. The health industry's warnings to lawmakers may have been dismissed because hospitals, health centers, and other health care provider groups are seen by Republicans as strong backers of the Affordable Care Act, the law known as Obamacare that's considered Democrats' biggest domestic achievement in decades. The ACA expanded government health insurance coverage to millions of people previously not eligible. And no Republicans voted for it. 'Hospitals' support of the ACA has frustrated Republicans, and as a result there is less a reservoir of goodwill to hospitals than in the past,' Kocher said. Ceci Connolly, chief executive of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, said her lobbying team spent extra time on Capitol Hill with lawmakers and their staffers, raising concerns about how the legislation would imperil health care coverage. 'There was almost an overriding sense on the part of Republicans in Congress to deliver a major victory for President Trump,' she said. Her group represents health plans that provide coverage in about 40 states. 'That superseded some of their concerns, reluctance, and hesitation.' Connolly said she repeatedly heard from GOP lawmakers that the focus was on delivering on Trump's campaign promise to extend his 2017 tax cuts. She said the concerns of some moderate members helped lead to one concession: a $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals and other health providers. The money, she said, may have made it easier for some lawmakers to support a bill that, in total, cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid over a decade. Another twist: Many new lawmakers were clearly still learning about Medicaid, she said. Republicans also seemed eager to reduce the scope of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage after enrollment in both programmes soared to record levels during the pandemic and the Biden administration, she said. Trump's law requires states to verify eligibility for Medicaid at least every six months and ends auto-enrollment into marketplace plans — steps health policy experts says will reverse some of those gains. Tribune News Service
Filipino Times
16 hours ago
- Filipino Times
Palace cites gov't programs for elderly amid push to penalize neglectful children
Malacañang urged the public to take note of existing government programs for senior citizens amid renewed discussions on the welfare of the elderly and a proposed Senate measure seeking to penalize children who abandon their aging parents. In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to prioritize elderly Filipinos as part of the country's vulnerable sectors. 'Marami tayong mga programa para sa kanila. May discount sila sa MRT at LRT, at tinuturing silang priority sa tulong,' Castro said. The statement comes after Senator Panfilo 'Ping' Lacson refiled the 'Parents Welfare Act of 2025,' which aims to impose penalties on individuals who fail to provide support to their elderly, sick, or incapacitated parents. If passed into law, children who abandon their parents may face imprisonment of six to ten years and a fine of not less than P300,000. Asked about the Palace's position on the measure, Castro said the Family Code already mandates mutual support between children and parents, citing Article 194. 'May obligasyon ang anak na suportahan ang magulang, at ang magulang sa anak. Nasa batas na 'yan,' she explained. Castro added that a thorough review of the bill is necessary to determine the validity of criminalizing children who neglect their parents.
