ANGELES CITY – Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. has filed a legislative measure seeking free legal assistance for all senior citizens, amending RA 7432 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010).
Under Lazatin’s House Bill No. 10004, senior citizens shall be entitled to free legal assistance in civil, criminal, administrative, and quasi-judicial proceedings, including legal advice and counseling, preparation of pleadings and legal documents, and legal representation.
Excluded, however, are criminal cases filed against the senior citizen for the commission of a crime involving moral turpitude, cases involving alleged violations of RA 2019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act), intra-corporate disputes, and cases under the Family Code of the Philippines, except petitions for guardianship.
Likewise, senior citizens shall be entitled to a 20% discount in legal and filing fees in civil cases involving real property, subject to Supreme Court rules and guidelines on fees and procedure.
The assistance shall be delivered through government legal assistance offices and coordinated legal aid mechanisms, in line with the Supreme Court’s Rules on Unified Legal Aid Service (ULAS) and the existing incentives for pro bono legal aid under RA 9999 (Free Legal Assistance Act of 2010).
Since he assumed office on July 1, 2025, Lazatin has stayed true to his promise of highlighting the welfare of senior citizens in his legislative agenda.
On July 29, 2025, Lazatin filed HB 2422, to be known as An Act Establishing the Bale Pusu Home for the Elderly in All Cities and Municipalities, prioritizing elderly citizens who have been abandoned, left on the streets, or have no families or kin to take care of them.
The proposed elderly home is patterned after the Bale Pusu Home for Abandoned Female Elderly first established in Sta. Teresita, Angeles City on Sept. 15, 2021, during Lazatin’s term as city mayor.
On Oct. 2, 2025, Lazatin filed HB 5068, to be known as Universal Social Pension for Senior Citizens Act, which mandates the provision of a universal social pension amounting to P2,000 per month to all Filipino senior citizens regardless of their income, civil status, health condition, or residency.
The amount of social pension shall be automatically adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index, to be determined by the Department of Budget and Management.
On June 2, 2026, Lazatin filed HB 9640 to be known as Free Glaucoma Screening for Senior Citizens Act, which seeks to provide senior citizens with access to free glaucoma screenings in Department of Health-retained hospitals, LGU hospitals, rural health units, or barangay health stations, subject to standards issued by the DOH.
Access to the service shall be facilitated through the respective local offices for senior citizens affairs or through the local social welfare and development offices. Team Lazatin Media
