u/ForeverPrudent

I came across Sen. Ping Lacson’s proposed Parents Welfare Act of 2025, and I wanted to share some thoughts.

On paper, it sounds noble — it aims to protect elderly parents by penalizing children who “neglect” them. But the more I read into it, the more I feel like this bill is deeply flawed and potentially harmful.

Here’s why:

We already have laws for this.

Under the Family Code of the Philippines (Articles 194–204), children are already legally obligated to support their parents — whether legitimate or not. Courts can already issue support orders, adjust amounts based on financial capacity, and even factor in misconduct.

So bakit kailangan pa ng criminal penalties?

This bill criminalizes poverty, not neglect.

If passed, failing to support your parent “without sufficient reason” could lead to:

Fines up to ₱100,000–₱300,000
1 to 10 years of imprisonment

What if you're struggling financially? May sariling pamilya? Wala kang steady income?

Not all who fail to give support are neglectful — some are just surviving.

“Sufficient reason” sounds fair — but isn’t enough.

At first glance, parang simple lang: “Eh kung may justifiable cause ka naman, bakit ka matatakot?”

But think of how a child must go through the exhausting, retraumatizing process of proving that cause.

Paano kung ‘yung dahilan mo ay taon ng pang-aabuso sayo ng mismong magulang mo? How do you prove abuse if there are no records, especially for older generations who grew up without phones, screenshots, or saved messages? Surely the court won’t take your word as-is lalo na't may mga taong nananamantala rin. But trauma survivors aren’t always able to “show receipts.”

And let’s be honest, many still think, “Eh magulang mo pa rin 'yan.” Judges might also be included.

Imagine this. Let’s say a child lived with their parents, finished school, got allowance. On the surface, parang wala namang problema. Then the child cuts them off.

In the surface, it looks like the child was ungrateful 'diba?

But how will anyone know that this child had no choice but to stay in a home where they were abused daily? Was forced na rumaket na lang just to survive, to buy food and pay for school projects? Was being guilted, manipulated, and emotionally blackmailed even for the small allowance they received? Had parents who showed up at graduation not to support, but to claim credit they didn’t earn?

And now, years later, after finally walking away, they get summoned to court — Of course, the child can present evidence sa court, but imagine the pain they have to go through all over again just to prove their pain. Just the prove that their pain was valid, na let me tell you, years of abuse would cause you to doubt that too. Years of abuse can lead you to even hate yourself and doubt if your pain meant something.

Hindi kasi to as simple as 'kung di ka naman inalagaan ng magulang mo, edi excempt ka na'. Bro, narcissistic parents will go through lengths just to make it seem like they're the perfect parents. They will go as far as to hide the traces of abuse they did to their children. Sometimes walang naiiwan na bakas ang abusong gingawa nila bukod sa broken na anak na kinailangan pang tumiwalag para lang maisip nila na deserving pala sila ng pagmamahal.

This bill doesn’t protect that child. Instead, it risks dragging them back to court, forcing them to prove what abuse already made them question — “Was my pain even real?”

And in a culture like ours, the shame of being sued by your parent doesn’t just affect your case — it affects your whole life. Kahit cleared ka pa, people will still say, “Wala kang utang na loob.”

The poor will suffer the most.

Let’s be real: rich people won’t feel this law. They can settle, pay, or lawyer up. But regular Pinoys? No lawyer. No money. No way out

This bill will hurt the vulnerable, not the cruel.

We need real support, not threats. If the goal is to help elderly parents, why not:

Expand senior pensions and public care programs
Offer tax relief or subsidies to families supporting elders
Properly fund Old Age Homes (which the bill already mentions — great! just don’t pair it with jail time)
Strengthen civil enforcement of existing laws

Yes, we must care for our elderly, but criminalizing struggling or traumatized children is not the way.

Support should be encouraged, not forced through court summons and jail threats.

Filial responsibility must come from compassion, not coercion.

If Senator Ping wants to build more Old Age Homes, by all means, go ahead. But don’t pass a law that forces abused or impoverished children to prove they’re not villains — when they’ve already been victims.

TL;DR: Lacson’s Parents Welfare Act sounds noble but is flawed. The Family Code already mandates support. This bill adds criminal penalties that could retraumatize abuse survivors, punish the poor, and force adult children to prove pain that was never believed in the first place. We need better care systems — not weaponized morality.

Thought I'd add it here. Ayon sa naresearch ko, here’s how we can formally affect the outcome of this bill (House Bill No. 4801):

We can either:

Contact your District Representative (Congressperson) They’re the ones voting in the House. Kung di ka sure sino ang rep mo, you can go to congress.gov.ph/members, then hanapin mo yung province/city mo.

Pwede mo silang i-email or i-message sa FB (marami sa kanila active dun). Sabihin mo na you’re a constituent and you’re against HB4801 or you'd like it be revised, and explain why. Mas impactful kung galing sa personal perspective mo or may concern ka about how it can be abused.

Even a few emails/messages from voters in their area can make them rethink their support, especially kung controversial yung bill.

Reach out to Senators Kapag nakaakyat na 'to sa Senate (if maipasa sa House), dun na mapupunta ang laban. Lahat ng senators represent the whole country, so kahit sinong senator pwede mong i-contact.

Visit senate.gov.ph/senators, may contact info doon. Like with your congressperson, message them with your concerns about the bill.

Sign and share petitions Look out for or start a Change.org petition or similar — legit petitions sometimes get the attention of lawmakers lalo na kung maraming signatures at maayos yung write-up.
Join or support advocacy groups Groups focused on family law, child protection, or human rights can amplify the opposition. Minsan sila rin ang nag-oorganize ng dialogues or statements addressed to Congress.
Use your voice online Di man siya formal-formal, but public clamor matters. If enough people speak up (especially professionals like social workers, lawyers, or psychologists), lawmakers take notice — especially before hearings.

Hope this helps! Let’s keep pushing while we still have time. 💪

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