Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson said he will pursue anti-discriminatory policies against senior citizens should he win in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

Lacson made the promise during a recent town hall meeting in Antipolo City after a 66 year old woman told the senator about her concern of losing her benefits and other entitlements from a micro finance association, where she has been a member of, should she reach the age of 70.

According to the woman, she is a stockholder at a microfinance outfit that extends loans and other financial services to individuals like her. But her membership contract states that once she reaches the age of 70, she can no longer borrow money, but can stay only as a member and a saver.

“It’s too discriminatory...Why is it that when you get to 70 years you are automatically rendered unproductive? Like you are no longer useful?” Lacson said, questioning the policy.

“They are assuming that once you are 70 years old, you may no longer have the capacity or wherewithal to pay for your microfinance. That’s wrong. We should look at the capability of the person. Even if he or she is 80 years old but remains productive, we should not discriminate,” he said.

Lacson said he and his running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III would see if they could still do something as incumbent senators to help her situation.

He said they are looking at the possibility of revisiting laws that govern microfinance institutions under the supervision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

“Even if we are only senators now, we will revisit some regulations or laws relevant to that, whether it’s a Central Bank regulation or whatever regulation we need to revisit,” he said.

Under a Lacson leadership, he said he would enforce an anti-age discrimination policy not only in terms of employment opportunities, but in other aspects that could negatively affect the quality of life of the seasoned members of Philippine society.

“ We should not discriminate. That policy (of denying benefits to senior citizens) is wrong. We should look at the capacity, the productivity, the ability of the person, not his or her age,” he pointed out.

Lacson and Sotto, both 73 years old, have said they are still physically fit and maintain a healthy and active lifestyles.