The government should start investing on long-term programs to manage the increasing number of senior citizens in the country, particularly on health-care and employment opportunities, the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) executive director said on Wednesday.

“What we need are programs to achieve active and healthy aging, including community-based rehabilitation programs. We also need programs for geriatric care … Eventually, if there are really growing numbers, let’s say beyond 10 million population, we also have to develop programs for their care, either at home or in institutions,” Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez said at the Laging Handa briefing.

Citing official data, Perez said the number of seniors in the country more than doubled—from 4.5 million 20 years ago to 9.2 million in 2020—as they now comprise 8.5 percent of the population, compared to 5.9 percent at the turn of the century.

“We think, by 2035, their number will be very big. So in the next 10 years, we have to develop programs for senior citizens,” he said.

The Popcom chief attributed their growing number to the increasing life expectancy among Filipinos, currently 69 years old for males and 74 years old for females, because of better access to medical care, healthier lifestyle and more educated seniors “who make better choices in life.”

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