Poe wants seniors to get ‘digital,’ work-from-home jobs amid pandemic

Elder residents receive the jab of Astrazeneca vaccine at Barangay 672 Zone 73 in Paco, Manila on March 28, 2021 during the start of vaccination for senior citizens of the local government.
RICHARD A. REYES / INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Grace Poe on Saturday sought increased livelihood programs targeted towards senior citizens to protect the greying population from the COVID-19 pandemic and urge them from leaving their homes during the health crisis.

She expressed her dismay following a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority that cited an increase in the number of job seekers of those aged 65 and above.

“It’s a sad reality to see our elderlies looking for work despite the perils of COVID-19 when they should be staying at home and enjoying the fruits of their labor,” said Poe in a statement. “Crucial intervention is needed to offer our senior citizens means of living that they can engage in without exposing themselves to the disease.”

A way for seniors to get into the workforce, Poe said, is to have them learn and adapt to the digital landscape that has been the norm as offices turned to work from home setups amid the pandemic.

The Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education can come up with programs that will work as an information exchange between senior citizens and tech-based youth volunteers.

“It could be a knowledge exchange. Our senior citizens can teach the young people traditional subjects and in turn, youth volunteers can aid the seniors to use and maximize technology,” said Poe. “It’s a good synergy that will bridge generations and foster a tighter and kinder society.”

Senior citizens are part of an at-risk population in the middle of the pandemic as their age makes them susceptible to diseases making them prone to COVID-19 infections.

Poe said that senior citizens can benefit from livelihood programs that the government, along with the private sector, can supply.

“The growing bandwagon of remote work or work-from-home arrangements opens an opportunity for our elderlies to find means of living without exposing themselves to the virus,” said Poe. “The government bears a heavy responsibility of taking care of our senior citizens. Working in their golden years should be just a matter of choice, not a necessity.”