Cebu’s elderly call for long-denied support after elections

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CEBU, Philippines – Cebu, the wealthiest province in the Philippines for 10 consecutive years, is home to a large and influential voter base. Yet, despite its economic success, many of its elderly residents still struggle to survive. 

Among them is 64-year-old Nanay Lucing (not her real name), who has spent her life selling fruits at Cebu City’s Carbon Market. In the early 1980s, she started her business, only to be displaced decades later due to the market’s redevelopment. 

Now, Nanay Lucing sells fruits in a provincial barangay and lives in a makeshift home she and her late husband built 27 years ago.

FRUIT STALL. Nanay Lucing’s roadside stall feature fruits for sale to the public on May 12, 2025. Photo courtesy of Marjuice Destinado

“Bisan pa og maabot og 100 ang akoang edad, mamaligya lang gihapon ko kay mao ra man akoang panginabuhian. Og di ko maninda, wala sad koy makaon,” said Nanay Lucing in an interview with Rappler.

(Even if I reach 100, I will still sell because that’s my only livelihood. If I don’t sell, I won’t have anything to eat.)

Nanay Lucing’s story is not an isolated case. Across Cebu, elderly residents continue to endure harsh economic conditions. 

In 2023, 15.5% of families in Cebu’s non-urban areas — roughly 751,260 people —  lived below the poverty line. Among the hardest hit are elderly-headed households, many of which are forced to sell by the roadside to survive due to limited income and weak social support.

Eighty-year-old Prudencia Bastatas and her husband, both residents of a rural community, are another example. 

The modest income her husband earns from selling tuba, a traditional Filipino coconut wine, is barely enough to make ends meet. Despite his age, he still climbs coconut trees to collect sap, which is fermented into tuba over several days. 

However, Bastatas admits their financial situation is dire: “Kulang gyod. Makakaon ra mi kon maningkamot,” she shared. (It’s really not enough. We can only eat if we work hard.)

The challenges facing Cebu’s elderly are compounded by the lack of consistent financial support. Women make up about 55.7% of the elderly population in Central Visayas, and they tend to live five years longer than men. But for many, this extended life comes at the cost of continued poverty, as they are often relegated to low-income, informal work just to survive.

In Carcar City — part of Cebu’s vote-rich 1st District where Governor Gwen Garcia’s influence waned in the 2025 elections — Mayor Patrick Barcenas was reelected, defeating former mayor Mercy Apura. During Apura’s 2019–2022 term, street vendors, including elderly residents like Nanay Lucing, were required to secure permits to sell in public spaces. 

Nanay Lucing told Rappler, “Giingnan mi nga kinahanglan mokuha og permit. Pero unsaon man namo na pagkuha kung ang halin igo ra sa bugas ug sud-an,” (We were told we needed a permit. But how can we get one when all we earn is just enough for food?)

While Barcenas has implemented governance reforms, he has not yet announced specific programs addressing the needs of senior citizens.

The economic strain on Cebu’s senior citizens is worsened by food inflation, which reached 5.1% by March 2025, driving up the cost of essentials like food and maintenance medications. Meanwhile, the country’s pension system, which covers only a small percentage of the elderly, forces many to rely on irregular family support or low-paying jobs to survive.

Elderly hopes

As Cebu’s senior citizens look toward the newly-elected leaders, they are calling for support in the form of targeted programs that address the unique struggles of the elderly. 

In San Fernando alone, home to around 3,500 seniors — including over 500 aged 80 and above — there are still no publicly known initiatives supporting them. Despite Mayor Mytha Ann Canoy’s unopposed reelection, her administration has yet to launch programs for the elderly.

In an interview, senior citizens Lucresia Zanoria and Concordia Pansoy, both from a rural area in San Fernando, said that they had only one main reason for voting in the recently held midterm elections: hope that this time, their needs would finally be addressed.

“Naa may ilang gisulti, maghinaut ko nga matuman kay abi nimo, maayo lang sila og nawng og mangatubang namo, ig abot sa panahon, dili nami nila mailhan.” 

(They said something, and I hope it happens because they only seem kind when they need our vote but when the time comes, they won’t even remember us.) 

Provincially, Pamela Baricuatro, a Duterte ally and humanitarian leader, won the Cebu governorship, defeating Garcia, the province’s longest-serving governor. In The Freeman’s Know Your Candidate segment, Baricuatro emphasized prioritizing support for all Cebuanos over maintaining the province’s “richest” status.

“Unsaon man na nato nga richest province ta, daghang nagkalisod, nabiyaan ang ubang Cebuanos,” Baricuatro said. (What good is being the richest province if many are still struggling and some Cebuanos are left behind?)

Among those left behind are senior citizens, one of Cebu’s most vulnerable groups. While Baricuatro has emphasized prioritizing support for all Cebuanos, she has not yet revealed specific plans to address the urgent and often overlooked needs of Cebu’s elderly population. – Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is a Political Science student and campus journalist from Cebu Normal University. The feature editor of Ang Suga and a fact checker at Explained PH, she is an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.