Fil C. Sionil Herself a senior citizen, Finance Undersecretary Maria “Tere” Teresa Habitan in her FB post Tuesday questioned the rationale behind the decision of the IATF to restrict the movement of individuals belonging to this age category. Ms. Tere argued that senior citizens are neither impulsive nor capricious. “Senior citizens have a mind of their own. It doesn't mean we grow old, we lost our sense. May isip naman ang mga senior citizens. Palagay ko, isang hindi nasusulat na sintomas nitong virus na ito ay ang pagkawala sa wisyo ng mga gumagawa ng panuntunan para sa mga nakararami.” She was reacting to the back stories of a senior citizen who went out of her house, walked more than she could physically handle to the MRT station but was barred from boarding. “It is not because of whims that she wants to go out (maglakwatsa). She has to buy medicine for maintenance and food for sustenance.” This was one of the back story that happened during the first day of the shift from ECQ to GCQ. In my part of the metropolis at the heart of the Central Business District (CDB) of Makati, it seems like the behavioral pattern is subdued, the transition protocol laid out by the authorities is really being followed. The streets surrounding CBD remain relatively calm with only a number of vehicles traversing the routes, far from my expectation that it would be back to at least moderate traffic. The reason is half of the Makati workforce still is in working from home, while others have to undergo testing before they can physically report for work. Still others are trying to work out a travel permit that would allow them to cross borders from LGU to another LGU. A government official has said Metro Manila is borderless. Cambridge defines borderless as a situation in which the border between two locations is not important, usually in relation to the movement of goods and people. This brings me back to the issue raised by Usec Tere on the restraining, prohibitive, teetering on the virtual imprisonment of senior citizens by preventing them from going out. Like her, I beg to differ on the decision of the IATF to impose this restrictive ruling. The ruling preventing able-bodied senior citizen, 60 years old and up, from going out is bordering on over-zealousness. I fully comprehend where the state is coming from – they’re trying to protect this particular sector of society which has been categorized as most vulnerable to the health menace. Undersecretary Tere, however, states that “older adults and people” not necessary senior citizens “who have been severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung ailment, diabetes” are at high risk for “developing more serious complications from COVD-19 illness. The facts on the ground, though, showed us that some of those who were stranded on the streets due to the sheer lack of transportation at the onset of easing were senior citizens. They’re undaunted that the heath danger exists. Their focus was simply to eke-out a living for their daily needs. Individuals in this age category are either the head honchos of their own businesses, retired but are into consulting business, and they just don’t venture out of their abode on sheer whims. The bill of rights is enshrined in Article 111 of the Constitutions. Section 6 under the Bill of Rights states that the right to travel shall not be impaired except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may provided by law. I wonder what’s the stance of election lawyer Atty. Romulo Makalintal, an advocate in protecting the rights of senior citizen Talkback to me at [email protected]