Section 2. Section 1 of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by Republic Act No. 9257, otherwise known as the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003", is hereby further amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 1.Declaration of Policies and Objectives. — As provided in the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, it is the declared policy of the State to promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life. In the Declaration of Principles and State Policies in Article II, Sections 10 and 11, it is further declared that the State shall provide social justice in all phases of national development and that the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights.

"Article XIII, Section 11 of the Constitution provides that the State shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. Article XV, Section 4 of the Constitution further declares that it is the duty of the family to take care of its elderly members while the State may design programs of social security for them.

"Consistent with these constitutional principles, this Act shall serve the following objectives:

"(a)To recognize the rights of senior citizens to take their proper place in society and make it a concern of the family, community, and government;

"(b)To give full support to the improvement of the total well-being of the elderly and their full participation in society, considering that senior citizens are integral part of Philippine society;

"(c)To motivate and encourage the senior citizens to contribute to nation building;

"(d)To encourage their families and the communities they live with to reaffirm the valued Filipino tradition of caring for the senior citizens;

"(e)To provide a comprehensive health care and rehabilitation system for disabled senior citizens to foster their capacity to attain a more meaningful and productive ageing; and

"(f)To recognize the important role of the private sector in the improvement of the welfare of senior citizens and to actively seek their partnership.

"In accordance with these objectives, this Act shall:

"(1)establish mechanisms whereby the contributions of the senior citizens are maximized;

"(2)adopt measures whereby our senior citizens are assisted and appreciated by the community as a whole;

"(3)establish a program beneficial to the senior citizens, their families and the rest of the community they serve; and

"(4)establish community-based health and rehabilitation programs for senior citizens in every political unit of society."