The Philippines

HelpAge has been working in the Philippines for around 25 years. Our aim is to build the capacity of older people in order for them to play an active role in their communities and be part of the development process in the country.

We work with our Affiliate, the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE), an organisation which conducts community-based programmes addressing the need for livelihoods, health and sanitation. Together we have set up a national network of 270 older people’s organisations that lobby local and national government agencies to support older people’s access to their rights and entitlements.

Life story: Rosemarie, 56

Rosemarie received funding for her vegetable growing business. Lucy Blown/HelpAge International 2011 Rosemarie, 56, lives with her husband who is blind in one eye and two of her children in a small hut.

She joined an older people's organisation after typhoon Ketsana hit the Philippines in 2009.

The disaster caused hundreds of casualties, massive damages to houses, infrastructure and livelihoods and affected over four million people.

Rosemarie said: "Before Ondoy (Ketsana) we were poor, after we were poorer.

"Thanks to the support from the older people's organisation, we have started to recover little by little."

Since she received some help, Rosemarie has supplemented her existing vegetable growing and vending business.

"Before the livelihood support we only ate one meal a day. Now we can have three," she added.

Supporting older people in the Philippines

Over the last year we have worked with and for older people in the Philippines in a number of areas:

Emergency support

• HelpAge supports older people and their families when disasters strike. Community service radio announcements raise awareness of older people’s needs and roles in disaster prevention activities.
• We help communities prepare for future disasters in order to increase their resilience.
• We ask the government to commit to making policies and take action that involves older people.
• Across the country, older people’s organisations have been formed to ensure the views of older people are included in community matters and programmes.

Livelihood support

• Older people's organisations have been supported to start businesses that older people can work together to improve village life. HelpAge has installed water filtration units to enable group members to filter and sell the clean water.

Advocacy

• With COSE, we advocate for social protection for older people. As a result, the Expanded Senior Citizen Act was passed in 2010 and the Government approved a national social pension scheme.
  
• After extended campaigning, disaster risk management legislation is also being enacted. One feature of the law is the active participation of vulnerable groups such as older people.

What next?

• We will form 1,000 new older people’s organisations before the end of 2014 and provide training that will focus on how to prepare for and cope with natural disasters.
  
• We will help older people recover from the impact of natural disasters by providing essential supplies and support to rebuild houses and livelihoods.
  
• We will continue to support the sustainability of older people's organisations through activities to help older people earn an income. 
  
• We will engage in advocacy activities with older people's organisations throughout the country to seek to increase the numbers of pension beneficiaries and the amount of benefits received.

Our affiliates

Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE)

Our partners

Confederations of Older People’s Organisation (COPAP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the University of the Philippines College of Social Work and Community Development, the Department of Health

Our donors

AGE UK, DEC, CORDAID, MISEREOR, Sponsor a Grandparent, HelpAge Korea, HelpAge Germany, the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA), ECHO