At least 5,000 senior citizens are set to converge at the Senate on Monday, (January 20) to call for immediate action on the proposed Universal Social Pension bill that would grant elderly Filipinos a PHP500 monthly pension.

Organized by the nation’s largest senior citizen groups, the Prayer Rally aims to urge senators, particularly Senator Imee Marcos, to act decisively on the measure. The Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development chaired by Marcos has been sitting on the bill since it’s approval by the Lower House on May 21, 2024.

Advocates lament that the the proposa has languished without action in Marcos’ committee for the past eight months.

“This is a matter of justice and compassion,” said United Senior Citizens Partylist Representative Mila Aquino-Magsaysay, principal author of the House bill. “We are calling on Senator Marcos to do what is fair and right for our elderly citizens who have contributed so much to our nation.”

Magsaysay is a principal author of House Bill 10423 that was approved in Congress with neither negative votes nor abstention.

Magsaysay has personally reached out to senators in an effort to push the bill forward, yet no committee hearing has been scheduled to date. Despite these challenges, she remains optimistic.

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino has assured swift action on the bill in plenary once it is approved at the committee level. However, time is running out, with Congress left with only eight session days before its February 8 adjournment.

“All that’s needed is for Senator Imee’s committee to approve the social pension measure,” Magsaysay emphasized, expressing hope for its eventual passage despite the tight schedule.

The senior citizens’ groups believe that the approval of this measure will not only provide financial relief to millions of elderly Filipinos but also affirm the government’s commitment to their dignity and welfare.