City officials recently requested the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) to allocate a feasible area as a temporary shelter for underprivileged senior citizens found sleeping on streets in the city.
Under Resolution No. 610, series of 2024, local legislators stated that Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that there shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children.
Further, Article XV, Section 4 of the fundamental law of the land 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.
During the Senior Citizens Officials For A Day (SCOFAD) session held on October 14, 2024, the SCOFAD council adopted the proposal of Julieta C. Sagon that requested the CSWDO to allocate a feasible area as a temporary shelter for underprivileged senior citizens found sleeping on Baguio streets.
The council noted that it has been observed that a significant number of senior citizens who had been found sleeping along the city’s streets have been exposed to heat and rain and other elements and possible dangers that threaten their lives and impair their frail health.
It added that while the senior citizens facility that is planned to be built in Balenben, Irisan is still some way off, it is best to find a temporary shelter that is specifically for senior citizens in order to handle the said issue.
Moreover, the body claimed that a space that could serve as a room or a temporary shelter that can accommodate a bed for senior citizens can be arranged where feasible, such as at the CSWDO building, at the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) or any possible area.
Copies of the approved resolution will be transmitted to the CSWDO for information, guidance, ready reference and further needed action. By Dexter A. See
