Philippine Culture - Take care of Parents?

When I first came to the Philippines the culture norm was that children took care of their elderly parents and grandparents, but a few years after arriving in the Philippines I saw that culture tradition begin to erode.  It was common to hear Filipino’s be critical of Westerners, especially Americans, for putting their elderly in nursing homes.  They would argue that we were disrespectful of our elders and that Filipino people would never do that.  Well, times have CHANGED!

I never put my mother in a nursing home, but now that I look back I believe it would have been better for her and the family if I had.  She had Alzheimer’s and there were times when caring for her at home were nearly unbearable.  At the time I foolishly thought nursing homes were where the young dump elderly parents and grandparents when they no longer want to be bothered with them. 

At the present moment there are two bills before the Philippine Congress that reflect the growing problems Filipinos have with the elderly.  House Bill 1514, filed by Representative Augusto Syjuco, allows the elderly to ask the courts to compel their descendants, whether legitimate or illegitimate, to give them financial and other support.  If younger Filipinos were caring for older Filipinos there would be no need for Representative Syjuco to file such a bill.

There is also a bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 1809, filed by Senator Mirian Defensor Santiago, which proposes the establishment of a government assistance program for elderly victims of abuse, whether physical, emotional or sexual, as well as neglect or abandonment by caregivers, financial exploitation and health care fraud and abuse.  Again, if younger Filipinos were caring for older Filipinos there would be no need for Senator Santiago to file such a bill.

I have heard many horror stories of the retired persons’ SSS or GSIS card being taken by their children or grandchildren, who then withdraw the monthly pension to use mainly for themselves rather than for their parents or grandparents.   I know of elderly people that have been put out on the streets by family members to beg for pesos to simply survive.  I doubt there is anyone in the Philippines that has not seen an elderly lady or man sitting on the sidewalk begging. 

How many bills are already on the books to curb the ills you find in the Philippines that are never enforced.  We all know that if established laws to fight corruption were enforced there would be little to no corruption.  I would suspect that these two bills if passed will not be enforced either due to lack of funds.

The elderly problem is only going to get worst in the Philippines.  In the 50’s Filipino’s generally died in their 50’s.  The time span to care for the elderly was short, but now Filipino’s who die in their 60’s are thought to have died YOUNG.  Complicating matters is the cost now involved in caring for the elderly.  Most elderly suffer from hypertension and diabetes and the cost of medication can run into the thousands of pesos each month.  Factor in diseases like Alzheimer’s and the cost runs even higher. 

The job situation in the Philippines requires many Filipino’s to work abroad.  The money sent home naturally goes first for the needs of the young and what is left may filter down to the elderly.  It is not only a monetary problem.  The O.F.W. simply cannot be home to give personal care to the elderly.

The numbers of elderly will continue to rise in the next century, but I do not think Congress can legislate parental or elderly care.  The government must strength the safety net they provide for senior citizens.  The Philippine government and society as a whole must begin to provide facilities for the elderly to go to and feel safe and be properly cared for and be given the opportunity to socialize with people their own age.  Nursing Homes/Assistant Care Living is not a dirty word as many Filipino’s believe. It often is better than the alternatives.

The Philippines has a population of people aged 60 and over of 7 million. This is projected to grow to 19.6 million by 2040, as a result of the lower fertility and lower mortality rate.

UPDATE: The abuse problem continues - June 22, 2014 MANILA from the Inquirer—with the growing number of aging Filipinos, various sectors are calling for the passage of laws to protect the elderly against abuse, described by many as a “hidden disease.”

At the commemoration of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Quezon City last week, experts noted how senior citizens are constrained by shame to admit to being victims of abuse from members of their own families.


 

I am Tired of President Obama and Liberal Democrats

"I'm 63 and I'm Tired"
By Robert A. Hall

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18.. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired..
I'm tired of President Obama and other Democrats telling me that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, and claiming the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to and "MODERATE" Muslims not speaking out against it.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America and Canada , while no American nor Canadian group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must fund treatment for them when my government is not willing to do whatever is needed to stop the drugs from coming across our borders or make laws tougher on pushers and users.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a SENSE of entitlement, rich or poor.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired.. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter..
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

Tea Party in Congress -Breathe of Fresh Air

I am so glad that the debt ceiling question is settled.  I was beginning to worry that the Tea Party Members of Congress would not strike “any” type of compromise and cause the country to go into default.  The fact they held out until the end and did compromise cause me to respect them even more.  They may be the” Knights on the White Horse” for the United States.  Our only hope is that they gain Senate and House seats in the next election.

I am sure John Boehner, Harry Reid and the rest of the old guard were shocked when they discovered the elected Tea Party candidates meant what they said during their campaign.  I am sure they thought when the newly elected Tea Party members got to Washington they would forget their promise and become one of the “Good Ole Boys.”   Why would” ANYONE” believe a politician would keep his or her campaign promises once elected – Obama certainly did not?

Not even a staunch Democrat can forget or deny that President Obama’s Democratic Party had control of all three branches of government the first two years of his term and should have been able to get anything passed.  Obviously President Obama did not mean the things he said on the campaign trail or his own party thought his ideas were bad. 

A few of the campaign promises President Obama forgot once elected: 1. Increase the Capital gains and dividends taxes for higher- income taxpayers. If he wanted to do that why did the Democrats not do it in the first two years? 2. Expand the child dependent care credit. 3. Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners. 4. End income tax for seniors making less than $50,000 a year. 5. End all Federal no-bid contracts above $25,000. 6. Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher income. If he wanted to do that why did the Democrats not do it in the first two years? 7. Phase out exemptions and deductions for higher earners. If he wanted to do that why did the Democrats not do it in the first two years? 8. Sign the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to unionize. 9. Forbid companies in bankruptcy from giving executives bonuses. 10. Allow workers to claim more in unpaid wages and benefits in bankruptcy court. 11. Allow imported prescription drugs. 12. Appoint federal-level coordinator to oversee all federal autism efforts. 13. Reduce earmarks to 1994 levels. 13. Enact windfall profits tax for oil companies. 14. Create cap and trade system with interim goals to reduce global warming. 15. Require plug-in fleet at the White House. 16. Provide an annual report on “states of our energy future”. 17. Recognize the Armenian genocide. 18. See to it that NO family making less than $250,000 will get “ANY form of tax increase.” 19. Negotiate health care reform in public sessions televised on C-SPAN. 20.  Introduce a comprehensive immigration bill in the FIRST year of his term.   These are only twenty of his many promises that he did not keep.

The BIGGEST promise that President Obama did not keep and the one that I think got him elected was he would bring CHANGE to Washington D.C. Things would be done differently and he would bring about a halt to partisan politics because he was not the TYPICAL politician Americans have had to endure for generations.   He is the most partisan president we have had in my life time.

I do not agree with some of the freshmen members of the Tea Party when they claim they got what they wanted.  They did not get what the Tea Party wanted for the cuts did not go deep enough nor do the major cuts take effect soon enough.  I do think they got all they could get without putting the U.S. Government in default and I think the 2/3’s of the freshmen members who supported the bill realized that.

The Tea Party members did get conversations started in the House and Senate on “Cut, Cap and Balance”, “Balanced Budget Amendment”, “Entitlement Cuts” and critical conversations on the Obama Health Care Bill. The Tea Party members did accomplish enough good that the Democrats will definitely try to destroy their creditability over the next 16 months and perhaps even some Republicans will.

The United States is on the road to becoming like Greece.  Only the American people can prevent it and they can only prevent it by electing a new breed of politicians to local, state and federal government.  If they do not then we deserve what we get.

I have heard the argument that the Republicans want to push grandma off the cliff and do not care about the sick and poor and I do not buy it.  The Democrats cannot keep giving away what we no longer have.  The approach to cut and save the social programs we can is far better than NO SOCIAL PROGRAMS at all and that is exactly what will happen with President Obama’s Socialist Government and the Democrats programs to buy votes.