Manila—The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) has announced plans to celebrate Elderly Filipino Week from October 1 to 7, aiming to foster greater respect and understanding between the young and the old.
According to Philippines News Agency, the NCSC inked a memorandum of understanding with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on Tuesday to promote the week-long celebration. NCSC officer in charge Mary Jean Loreche highlighted the importance of engaging the youth in valuing the elderly, not just for potential benefits like discounts on medicines but for the intrinsic value of the elderly as sources of wisdom. “We want to encourage the youth today via the programs we’re doing that, ‘I want to reach this age’, to have them wish not only for 20 percent discount plus 12 percent VAT for the medicines but because of many benefits, and the greatest benefit of being an older person is to be a source of wisdom,” Loreche stated during the MOU signing.
Loreche also pointed out that while respect for the elderly remains a core Filipino value, challenges such as migration due to economic reasons have impacted family structures, often leaving the elderly uncared for. “Sa aming mga programs ngayon (In our programs now), we want to rebuild strengthening the families and the homes,” she noted.
Further, the NCSC is pushing for a home care support program to ensure the health and safety of senior citizens, with cooperation from the government and private sector. Additionally, the commission is developing livelihood training modules in partnership with the Department of Tourism and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide skill-based opportunities for healthy senior citizens. “If we can develop programs where tourism-related livelihood programs can be cascaded to the seniors who are able, capable and willing, willing to be taught skills with our partnership with TESDA, then they can actually be deployed,” Loreche added.