MANILA, Philippines – The proposed Parents Welfare Act of 2025 does not obligate children to support parents who abused, abandoned, or neglected them.

“Abuse, abandonment or neglect by parents of their children are exempting circumstances. Under the proposed measure, walang obligasyon ang anak na magsuporta sa magulang na nang-abuso, nag-abandon at nagpabaya sa kanya,” Lacson said.

Senate Bill No. 396, or the Parents Welfare Act of 2025, seeks to ensure that children provide support to parents who are senior citizens, sickly, or permanently incapacitated and unable to support themselves.

However, Lacson emphasized that under Section 16 of the bill, a court may dismiss or reduce the support obligation if it finds—after due notice and hearing—that the parent seeking assistance had previously abandoned, abused, or neglected the child.

The measure also exempts children who lack the financial capacity to provide support to their parents.

Lacson cited Article 195 of the Family Code, which establishes the legal duty of family members to support one another, and noted that his bill aligns with existing laws such as Republic Act No. 9262 or the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Law, which protect individuals from abuse.

Responding to concerns that the bill would shift the government’s responsibilities to private citizens, Lacson stressed that caring for the elderly is a shared obligation.

He said the bill mandates the establishment of “Old Age Homes” in every province and highly urbanized city, each capable of accommodating at least 50 elderly parents who are sick, incapacitated, or abandoned.

“(Taking care of the elderly members of society) is a shared responsibility of government and the children of said elderly. The care for the aged is neither an exclusively private matter to be left to the family nor an exclusively public concern best left to the government,” he said.