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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by Representatives  
BELLA VANESSA B. SUANSING and MIKAELA ANGELA B. SUANSING 
AN ACT 
DEFINING AND PENALIZING THE CRIME OF CRIMINAL NEGLECT OF A 
VULNERABLE ELDERLY PERSON OR A PERSON WITH DISABILITY 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The following measure seeks to address inadequacies in the current legal framework in 
relation to the protection of vulnerable elderly persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs) by 
their supposed caretakers who forsake their responsibilities at the expense of the former’s well-
being and, in some cases, their lives, by defining and penalizing the crime of criminal neglect of 
vulnerable elderly persons or PWDs.  
Upon adoption of this measure, persons who willfully abandon vulnerable elderly persons 
or PWDs and who have either been entrusted, through employment or through legal, fiduciary or 
through any other type of relationship, with the care of the vulnerable elderly persons or PWDs, 
or who are related to the vulnerable elderly persons or PWDs by blood or marriage and knows 
that such persons are unable to adequately provide for their own health and personal care due to 
their respective medical conditions shall be held liable and incur penalties under law.  
This proposed measure introduces amendments to the measure filed by Rep. Horacio P. 
Suansing, Jr. and Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing in the 19th Congress.  
In pursuit of providing safeguards to the dignity and rights of vulnerable elderly persons 
and PWDs, and in line with laws that demonstrate the Filipino people’s commitment to the well-
being of senior citizens and PWDs, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.  
BELLA VANESSA B. SUANSING  
MIKAELA ANGELA B. SUANSING 
        2nd District of Sultan Kudarat 
 1st District of Nueva Ecija 
July 28, 2025
8:00 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by Representatives  
BELLA VANESSA B. SUANSING and MIKAELA ANGELA B. SUANSING 
AN ACT 
DEFINING AND PENALIZING THE CRIME OF CRIMINAL NEGLECT OF A 
VULNERABLE ELDERLY PERSON OR A PERSON WITH DISABILITY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Care for the Elderly and the 
Disabled Act.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State values the dignity of every person and 
guarantees full respect for human rights. To this end, the State shall penalize the neglect of a 
vulnerable elderly person or a person with disability. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of this Act, the following terms shall 
mean: 
(l) Abandon means to desert a vulnerable elderly person or a person with disability with
intent to wholly abandon him or her.
(2) Caregiver means a person who provides for the health, welfare, and personal care of a
vulnerable elderly person or a person with disability, at such person's place of
residence, including, but not limited to food and nutrition, shelter, hygiene, prescribed
medication, and medical care or treatment. The term caregiver shall include:
(a) a parent, spouse, adult, child or other relative by blood or marriage who resides
with or resides in the same building, or who regularly visits the vulnerable
elderly person or the person with disability, or who knows or reasonably should
know that such person is unable to adequately provide for his or her own health
and personal care;
(b) a person employed by the vulnerable elderly person or a person with disability
or by another to reside with, or regularly visit the vulnerable elderly person or
the person with disability and provide for such person's health and personal
care;
(c) a person who has agreed for consideration to reside with, or regularly visit the
vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability and provide for such
person's health and personal care;
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(d) a person who has been appointed by a private or public agency or by a court of 
competent jurisdiction to provide for the health and personal care of the 
vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability; and 
 
(e) a person who holds a power of attorney or other legal or fiduciary relationship 
that requires such person to provide for the health and personal care of the 
vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability. 
 
(3) Person with disability (PWD) refers to any person who is suffering from restriction of 
different abilities as a result of a mental, physical or sensory impairment, to perform 
an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. 
Disability shall mean:  
1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more 
psychological, physiological or anatomical functions of an individual or 
activities of such individual; 
 
2) a record of such an impairment; or 
 
3) being regarded as having such an impairment. 
 
(4) Vulnerable elderly person refers to any resident of the Philippines, at least sixty (60) 
years old, who is suffering from a disease or infirmity associated with advanced age. 
 
SECTION 4. Criminal Neglect of a Vulnerable Elderly Person or a Person with Disability.  
A person is guilty of criminal neglect of a vulnerable elderly person or a person with disability 
when he or she is a caregiver and: 
 
(l)  knowingly acts in a manner likely to cause the vulnerable elderly person or the person 
with disability's life to be endangered, health to be injured, or pre-existing physical or 
mental condition to deteriorate; or 
 
(2) fails to perform acts which he or she knows or reasonably should know that are 
necessary to maintain or preserve the life or health of the vulnerable elderly person or 
the person with disability and such failure causes said person's life to be endangered, 
health to be injured or pre-existing physical or mental condition to deteriorate; or 
 
(3) abandons the vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability without justifiable 
causes. 
 
SECTION 5. Exceptions. — No provision of this Act shall be deemed to impose criminal 
liability upon any person who has made a good faith effort to provide for the health and personal 
care of the vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability, but through no fault of his or 
her own, has been unable to provide for such care.  
 
In addition, no provision of this Act shall be construed as prohibiting a person from providing 
treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone and care consistent therewith, in lieu of 
medical care and treatment in accordance with the tenets and practices of any church or religious 
denomination of which the vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability is a member. 
 
SECTION 6. Penalty. — Any person found guilty of committing the acts punished in this Act 
shall be punished by imprisonment of not less than one (l) year but not exceeding five (5) years 
and a fine not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (PhP 10,000.00) but not exceeding One Hundred 
Thousand Pesos (PhP 100,000.00). 
 
SECTION 7. Other Remedies. — No provision of this Act shall be construed to limit the 
remedies available to the vulnerable elderly person or the person with disability under any other 
provision of laws. 


 
 
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SECTION 8. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions 
hereof. 
 
SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, and issuances, or portions thereof, 
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 10. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
 
Approved,