MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday, September 29, ratified the bicameral conference committee report harmonizing separate legislative measures intended to enhance healthcare services for elderly Filipinos.
Sponsored by Senator Risa Hontiveros, the reconciled report consolidated Senate Bill No. 1509 and House Bill No. 6739 to establish a unified framework designed to “build a comprehensive, integrated, coordinated, and sustainable system of geriatric care.”
“Under the reconciled measure, the national specialty center for geriatric health—to be known as the Philippine Geriatric Center—under the direct control and supervision of the Department of Health, will eventually serve as a national apex and coordinating center for geriatric health services,” Hontiveros stated during Tuesday’s regular plenary session.
The lawmaker clarified that because construction on the proposed Philippine Geriatric Center (PGC) has not yet commenced, the Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal Geriatric Health Specialty Center (EMMGHSC) will serve as the interim national specialty facility.
Once the PGC is constructed and fully functional, the EMMGHSC will transition into a tertiary-level referral facility dedicated to senior care.
“Habang hindi pa ito ganap na naitatayo at nao-operationalize, the Evangelina Macaraeg-Macapagal Geriatric Health Specialty Center will serve as the national specialty center for geriatric care. Once the PGC becomes operational, the EMMGHSC will continue as a tertiary geriatric clinical referral hub with a formal referral and counter-referral system between the two institutions,” Hontiveros explained.
The legislation sets a concrete timeframe, directing the complete construction and operationalization of the PGC within a five- to seven-year period.
Furthermore, Hontiveros highlighted that the proposal enhances inter-agency coordination by utilizing current government data networks for planning, boosting health workforce skills through geriatric training and support programs, and requiring annual progress reports subject to congressional review.
“Beyond these institutional arrangements, this measure is ultimately about our senior citizens. Gusto nating tiyakin na ang pagtanda ay hindi nangangahulugan ng pagkawala ng access sa dekalidad at espesiyalistang pangangalaga,” she said.
“Ang mas mahabang buhay ay dapat sabayan ng mas malusog, mas ligtas, at mas dignified na buhay,” she added.
First introduced during the 18th Congress, the measure was drafted to honor elderly citizens who succumbed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Senior Citizens Party-list Representative Francisco Datol Jr., who passed away from acute respiratory distress in 2020 at age 71.