An organization of senior citizens and urban poor urged Monday the 10 presidential candidates not to take advantage of the poor and the elderly in their campaign, claiming that the rights of the elderly, workers, urban poor, and other vulnerable sectors have always been exploited every election.

“Many of us are poor. We see in many politicians’ electoral campaign the use of the poor in their television advertisements and campaign promises, and in the delay of the signing of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act,” said 65-year-old retired public school teacher Salvacion Basiano, member of the Council of Elders of the Confederation of Older Persons’ Association of the Philippines (COPAP).

The group pointed out that of the seven million Filipinos who are 60 years and older, three million are poor and 900,000 are “desperately poor.”

It further urged President Arroyo to keep her promise to sign the Expanded Senior Citizens Act (ESCA) before Valentines’ Day on Feb. 14.

Salvacion said ESCA is considered a people’s victory, especially of the senior citizens who drafted and lobbied for it for three years.

“The government’s explanations for the delay—that Congress has not yet transmitted the final version of the bill to the executive department—is unacceptable. We are planning to go back to Mendiola if the bill is not signed until Wednesday,” Salvacion said.

COPAP members, together with members of the Coalition of Services of the Elderly Inc. (COSE) and other groups under Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP or the Life of Dignity for All Campaign), said they will conduct a street demonstration on Wednesday if President Arroyo fails to sign the ESCA until Wednesday.

Malacañang earlier announced that Mrs. Arroyo would sign on or before Valentine’s Day the bill exempting senior citizens from the 12 percent value-added tax.

The ESCA is also expected to provide social protection measures such as free medical services in government hospitals, free membership to PhilHealth, and a monthly pension of P500 to the poorest members.

“We deplore the exploitation of the poor in the campaign ads. The urban poor in our community in Pasig are still facing the threat of demolition. The presidential candidates’ and other candidates’ housing promises are empty. We have already come up with proposal for an on-site development or in-city relocation program, but none of them ever considered this,” Manny Manato of the urban-poor formation Kilos Maralita said.

“Employment has always been among the most promised every election, but our unemployment rate continues to soar. What we need now are concrete programs for employment guarantee and unemployment insurance for our labor force. We support social protection for the elderly and we demand social protection for all,” Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP) labor representative Rene Magtubo said.

Former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo said the presidential candidates remain insensitive to the true needs of the people especially those who belong below the poverty line.

“Their campaign promises are mere platitudes, not baring concrete institutional programs that would break the present system that perpetuates chronic poverty in the country. We want a system that does not does not allow people to go without decent work or livelihood, adequate food and shelter, and without other social protection measures—a society where people live with dignity,” Nemenzo, also KAMP adviser said.

“The poor are used as props in political ads and in campaign promises.

But very little is accomplished, if at all, after every election. This teaches us that our fate lies not with the politicians’ but with our own sector and our collective action,” KAMP co-facilitator Von Mesina said.