Tuguegarao City—Cognizant of the important role of older persons in nation building, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 02 in collaboration with the Regional Coordinating and Monitoring Board led the culminating activity for the week-long celebration of the Elderly Filipino Week celebration on October 10, 2013 at Crown Pavillion, Tuguegarao City.

This annual celebration is done every first week of October by the virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 470 issued by former President Fidel V. Ramos on September 26, 1994 to increase public awareness on the different issues concerning the older persons’ sector.

This year’s theme was “Nakatatanda: Pagtulungang Isulong, Benepisyo’t Karapatan Tungo sa Maginhawa at Masayang Pamayanan” wherein around 450 Senior Citizens together with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs Officers and Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines Officers joined and participated in the event.

The one-day culminating program highlights the significant roles of the elderly in the society wherein they are recognized by giving various free services offered by different regional line agencies like medical check-ups sponsored by the Department of Health, massage therapy, personalized grooming and haircutting sponsored by scholars of Cash for Training Program of TESDA and DSWD. A photo booth was also installed at the venue wherein the Senior Citizens showed their best smiles and creative poses in front of the camera.

In her opening message, DSWD Regional Director Violeta A. Cruz stressed that we should not just recognize our elderly for a week or two, but everyday, we should show our love, respect and recognition to them.

“We should always honoring our elderly, we should always show our support and love to them because someday, we will soon become one, we will soon be part of the older person’s sector”, Director Cruz added.

On the other hand, there was also an awarding of ceremonial checks to the municipalities of Solana, Penablanca and the city of Tuguegarao as fund transfer which is now new the mode of payment to fast track the distribution of social pension to our Senior Citizens and also to strengthen partnership with LGUs in the effective delivery of programs and services.

Also, there was an actual distribution of social pension to more than 200 Senior Citizens who were present in the event covering the third quarter of the year.

The Social Pension for indigent senior citizens is the provision of monthly pension to qualified indigent senior citizens in the amount of 500 pesos as assistance stipulated under the Republic Act 9994 otherwise known as “The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010”.

In Region 02, there are 8,851 indigent senior citizens (aged 77 years old and above) who are beneficiaries of Social Pension. ### By: ANGELY M. LUBO-MERCADO, DSWD Regional Information Officer