House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

At 68 years old, Celia Esguerra still has to look after her three grandchildren. The eldest has just stepped foot in college, the middle is in Grade 8, and the youngest is in preschool. 

She is a widow, jobless, and has aches and pains normal for a person of her age. Needless to say, Esguerra pines for relief from her daily burden. 

"Napakahirap ng buhay, walang tigil ang hirap kahit sa pagtanda. Kaya kahit anong matatanggap kong tulong gobyerno ay tatanggapin ko," Esguerra, a resident of Vitas in Tondo, Manila said. 

(Life is hard, it doesn't stop with old age. That's why any help I can get from the government, I would gladly take.) 

If it's any solace for Esguerra, legislators like Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes are trying to make a difference. 

Ordanes has filed in the current 19th Congress House Bill (HB) No.10739, or the proposed Magna Carta of Senior Citizens. Laguna 3rd district Rep. Loreto Amante served as his co-author. 

"The Magna Carta builds upon the provisions of Republic Act No. 9994, or the 'Expanded Senior Ciizens Act of 2010,' and other legislations, presidential decrees, and memoranda by introducing new measures that reflect the evolving needs of senior citizens. These include enhanced healthcare services, increased social protection, and greater support for seniors' continued active engagement in their communities," read the bill's explanatory note. 

Elderly Filipinos who want to be employed will benefit from the enactment of HB No.10739. 

"Senior citizens who have the capacity and desire to work, or be re-employed, shall be provided information and corresponding services of available job opportunities by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through the Public Employment Service Offices, to enable them to be productive members of society," it read. 

Under this employment program for seniors, government agencies and private entities shall institute an employment program that "shall promote the general welfare and well-being of senior citizens and ensure access to employment opportunities to those who have the qualifications, capacity and interest to be employed". 

"The employment opportunities shall include but not limited to clerical or secretarial works, consultancy, cleaning or janitorial services, event organizin g, tecaching, kitchen help, sales assistance, business process outsourcing and other jobs or volunteer works not otherwise prohibited by law," it added. 

Another provision of HB No.10739 that aims to ease the burden on senior citizens is the discount on utilities, specifically the grant of a minimum of 15 percent discount relative to the monthly utilization of water and electricity supplied by the public utilities. 

"Provided, That the individual meters for the foregoing utilities are registered in the
name of the senior citizen residing therein or a senior citizen is an actual resident of the
houschold as duly certified by the barangay and the OSCA," the bill stated. 

OSCA stands for the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs, which the Ordanes bill provides the creation for. 

"There shall be established in all cities and municipalities an OSCA to be headed by a senior citizen who shall be appointed by the mayor for a term of three (3) ycars without reappointment but without prejudice to an extension if exigency so requires," it read. 

The head of the OSCA shall be assisted by the City/Municipal Social Welfare and
Development ficer (C/MSWDO) on the management of office and implementation of
programs and services. 

Moreover, HB No.10739 strengthens the 20 percent discount on goods and services that seniors enjoy under Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7432, otherwise known as the "Senior Citizens Act" as amended. 

"[It] shall be applied on the final price of the goods and services after a promotional offer of discount, if any provided...In no case shall a promotion or discount offered by a business establishment to the senior citizen be considered In compliance with Section 4 of RA No. 7432. as amended," it underscored. 

Ordanes filed a similar measure in HB No.10705, or the Act providing for the programs and benefits for returning senior Overseas Filipino Workers.