Introduction : The increasing aging population of the Philippines impacts on the socioeconomic development of the country, prompting a deeper look into their quality of life. This study sought to determine the effect of the Elderly Development Program on the quality of life of the elderly population of Los Baños. Methods : A 4-month prospective cohort study of the elderly population in Los Baños, Laguna compared the quality of life scores of a group enrolled in the Elderly Development Program and an unexposed control, using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated Version for Filipino Older Persons questionnaire. Results : Quality of life scores where higher for the EDP group during the four months of observation. In Month 2, significant differences were found in all domains except for the psychological domain. Only the physical health domain score was significant in the EDP group for Month 3 (p = 0.003) and Month 4 (p = 0.029). Both the EDP and control groups had higher overall and domain scores in Month 4 compared with baseline. Conclusion The Elderly Development Program may improve the overall quality of life of elderly persons, specifically in the physical health domain. These improvements are likely due to the focus of the program on the physical aspect of the elderly.
Aged ; Quality of Life

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with weak health systems are especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we describe the challenges and early response of the Philippine Government, focusing on travel restrictions, community interventions, risk communication and testing, from 30 January 2020 when the first case was reported, to 21 March 2020. Our narrative provides a better understanding of the specific limitations of the Philippines and other LMICs, which could serve as basis for future action to improve national strategies for current and future public health outbreaks and emergencies.