Lacson clarifies: Parents Welfare Act exempts children from supporting abusive, neglectful parents

Alfredo Tolentino

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has cleared out misconceptions that children will not be obligated to support parents who have abused, neglected, or abandoned them, under his proposed Senate Bill No. 396 or the Parents Welfare Act of 2025.

Photos Courtesy of Ping Lacson/Senate of the Philippines.

Lacson emphasized that the measure seeks to reinforce filial responsibility, but only in cases where the parents are not guilty of past abuse or neglect.

“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 in a statement on July 17.

Section 16 of the bill provides that if the court determines, after notice and hearing, that the parent in need of support committed such acts, it may dismiss the petition or reduce the amount of support.

The Parents Welfare Act primarily seeks to penalize children who refuse to support elderly, sick, or incapacitated parents who are genuinely in need and not capable of self-support due to age, illness, or lack of income and property.

Lacson said the measure upholds the principle that caring for the elderly is a shared responsibility between the government and the children.

“This proposed bill… (strengthens)  filial responsibility and (makes) it a criminal offense in case of flagrant violation. Abandonment of a parent in need of support shall likewise constitute a criminal act,” Lacson added.

The proposed law allows a parent in need to file a petition in the Regional Trial Court to seek a “support order” from children who fail or refuse to provide support, with the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) providing legal representation, and no court fees will be charged. 

Support may be fulfilled by paying the court-ordered amount or by housing the parent in the family home, with the obligation being divided based on financial capacity when a parent has multiple children.

Children who fail to comply with a support order for three consecutive months without justifiable reason may be imprisoned for one to six months or fined Php 100,000. 

Meanwhile, anyone who abandons a parent under their care may face a prison term of six to ten years and a fine of Php 300,000.

However, Lacson reiterated that financially incapable children are not legally required to provide support. 

He pointed out that Article 195 of the Family Code already recognizes the mutual duty among family members to support one another, and that the bill complements existing laws like the Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Act.

The measure includes the establishment of government-run “Old Age Homes” in every province and highly urbanized city, with a minimum capacity of 50 residents per facility.

He also rejected the notion that the bill shifts the burden of caring for the elderly solely onto the children. 

“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.

The proposed bill drew criticism from the public, with many social media users arguing that it overlooks the plight of individuals who are financially struggling or have suffered abuse or neglect from their parents.

Others pointed out that the measure shifts the burden of elderly care from the government to private citizens, instead of strengthening public services such as free healthcare and retirement support programs.

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