A photo on Facebook has gone viral after a netizen uploaded the image showing an unidentified elderly woman who is allegedly being locked behind a steel gate in Manila. The old lady was abandoned by her family and she solely depends on good Samaritans who give her food whenever they pass her apartment.
A concerned citizen , Ayesha Liezel Danan, turned to social media to seek help and assistance for the aging lady who is left unattended in an old apartment at Bagong Buhay Street, Balik Balik, Sampaloc, Manila. In the description, Ayesha mentioned that she personally doesn't know the woman in the viral photo but she decided to post the image on Facebook for it to catch the attention of the public servants in the area.
Additional details regarding the status of the old woman were also added in the caption of the picture. The old lady has a relative living with her in the said aparment but apparently she is being abandoned. According to the post on Facebook, the old lady is deliberately mistreated and her relatives are simply waiting for her to die so they can sell the house and lot in Manila.
Thousands of angry netizens are now demanding the intervention of the Barangay (village) officers. They want the abandoned woman be rescued immediately. One commenter said, "ni-lockdown na ang old woman at maraming dumaan diyan, bakit di agad agaran umaksyon ang mga Barangay tanod dyan sa Manila?" Another netizen who go by the name of Lloyd Santiago replied, "WaLang Magagawa Ang Barangay Samen .. Kaya Dapat Sa TV Makita Yan Para Sa MbiLis Na Pag Recue Kay Nanay".
A larger campaign for help was also discussed by a certain netizen. The Facebook user said, "having the old woman locked inside her own house is totally inhuman. The person who did the cruel and heartless act should be reprimanded by the authorities." He added, "let's bring this case to the Tulfo brothers so they can call the attention of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officers to rescue the helpless elderly woman in Manila!"
On the other hand, a bill introduced by Miriam Santiago in the Senate cited an article of the Philippine Constitution (Article 15, Section 4) regarding the duty of family to take care of their elderly members. It says;
The family has the duty to take care of its elderly members but the State may also do so through just programs of social security.
The notes of Miriam Santiago included a statement claiming "the traditional high regard for older persons remains the characteristic of Filipino families". Unfortunately, the scenario above is completely the opposite--the old woman in Manila was locked and abandoned by her own family most likely because of GREED. We might have committed a premature conclusion, nonetheless, we hope that our message would cross your heads.
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