"My wife told me, I was born for the people.”Ruperto “Berting” Garlitos, 65 years old volunteer community organizer, is this year’s selected ADA Leader. With his passion and dedication to community service through organizing, he was able to organize three older people organizations in their area that actively and persuasively push for the rights of older people.
In the beginning, Tatay Berting was discouraged to organize the sector of older people. His former co-workers view that there’s no sense of putting efforts in organizing older people because of their deteriorating conditions. He rejected this thought and proved them otherwise that older people are still capable of contributing to the society. He also sensed that this sector needs each other most, for there will be no one who will fight and push for their rights other than older people themselves.
Tatay Berting has started to join in organizing older people in 2009 and actively participates in mobilization and campaign activities of Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE) and confederation of Older People Association of the Philippines (COPAP). One of the key issues Tatay Berting and the thousands of Filipino elderly suffer from is the inadequacy of social pension for every older people. Employment discrimination is another issue of older people where once you get 50 years old, many job advertisements limit them from applying even their skills and experience meet the job requirements. This worrisome issue is worsened by the mandatory retirement, where the law provided that older people working must retire at age of 65, leaving them economically dependent to their families and lowers their self-worth. Furthermore, the health care system of the country is inadequate and insensitive to the health needs of older people. These are some issues that confront older people, despite the fact that they once contributed in the nation building during their physical prime.
Together with COSE and COPAP, Tatay Berting joins in several campaign activities raising the awareness of the older people and the general public. Through organizing, older people began helping each other and provided assistance to those who are in dire situation. Programs were planned and developed by themselves and tailor-fitted according to their needs and abilities. Older people helping older people have brought significant improvements in the quality of their life.
This year, COSE and COPAP would once again join government-proclaimed activity “Walk for Life”, to participate in unity walk with other older people and government institutions. Specifically, COSE and COPAP in partnership with HelpAge International’s global network campaign Age Demands Action (ADA), will be holding an Inter-Generational Concert. This concert aims to raise awareness on the rights of the older people and trending issue of elderly abuse which older people themselves are unaware of. It also calls the young generation to participate and involve in the advocacy of the rights of older people. “This event is important for us, for this is the only way the society would recognize the needs of the older people”, states Tatay Berting.
Being a volunteer organizer and chosen ADA Leader, Tatay Berting feels there are yet to be done. For him, it is a privilege to represent the older people and voice out their needs and violations to their human rights. Tatay Berting lamented, “It is not charity that we need, the society and the government should recognize the innate rights of older people.”
In due course, Tatay Berting hopes that the Philippine Government would deemed recognize that they have moral responsibility to take care of the elderly and ensure that the laws are properly implemented; review the social security for the older people; provide employment scheme that is within the capacity of older people; and provide old-age sensitive and responsive health care system. On the other hand, Tatay Berting calls for the older people to know their rights and actively assert these rights. He also entices the young generation to invest for older people advocacy, “for whatever they would do for older people, would be insurance for them when they get old”.
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