BEFORE anything else, let me thank sportsman-lawyer Edgar M. Avila for his kind words about me in his column in the Baguio Midland Courier recently.
It inspired my wife Sol and I and all the members of our family. Personally, I know his parents intimately. His father Arturo and mother Consuelo and I with the late Benguet provincial governor Andres Bugnosen, City Councilor Andy Cariño and former city administrator Atty. Conrado Bueno, among others were class 1949 graduates from the Baguio City National High School.
On the record, Edgar was a Boy Scout under the late Rev. Fr. Jean Marie Tchang’s leadership who served as administrator-principal of the Don Bosco High School at Trancoville.
Edgar, to say the least, was one of the first and few boy scouts of the BSP Baguio City Council who achieved the Jose Rizal rank (equivalent to Eagle Scout). I can remember vividly scout Edgar and Fr. Tchang represented the BSP National Council in the Scout World Jamboree in Norway in the 60s.
Edgar also served as a representative in the Philippine House of Congress representing the Youth sector of the country, during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos.
In the field of sports, sportsman Avila is the founder of the annual EMA golf tournament in the city. Happily the proceeds of the golfest is distributed to several charitable organizations. Again, thank you, Atty. Edgar for your generosity.
The City Social Welfare and Development Office and the Office for Senior Citizens Affair (CSWDO-OSCA) will launch the 2015 elderly month celebration program in the city during the Kapihan scheduled on September 24 at the PIA-CAR office at the Lualhati compound.
The forthcoming celebration is in consonance with Presidential Proclamation No. 470 series 1994 by former president Fidel V. Ramos declaring the first week of every October as “Linggo ng Katandaang Filipino” and strengthened by resolution no. 052 series 2003, declaring the month of October every year as retirees and senior citizens month in the city of Baguio by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
The month long celebration was initiated by the BARP Foundation, led by its President-CEO Prof. Federico Balanag.
The CSWDO-OSCA sponsored special event will officially start on October with an opening program at the FVR Gym set at 8 a.m.
It will highlight the presentation of awards to outstanding OSCA officers and members. A grand parade will follow after the program which will end at the Malcolm square for the distribution of fruit-bearing seedlings to members of the Federation of Baguio Senior Citizens Association and the Philippine Veterans Associations, Philippine Government Retirees Association and the Philippine Veterans Association, Baguio Chapter.
Special guests will be headed by City Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Congressman Nicasio Aliping Jr. and Vice Mayor Edison Bilog.
On October 2, an ecumenical thanksgiving service will be held at the city’s multipurpose hall. The activity is set from 8AM coordinated by FBASECA.
The Senior Citizens Officials for A Day (SCOFAD) program will be on center stage on October 5. Some 37 qualified elderly people will take over the leadership reigns of the city government from the city mayor, congressman and members of the City Council down to the department heads.
For the first time in the SCOFAD “good governance”, a group of 19 elderlies will also serve as Local Government CAR regional department heads for the day. Significantly the new SCOFAD format added lifetime experience and luster to the overall celebration. The names of the 56 incoming elderly city and regional LGU officials will be announced hopefully during the Kapihan.
On October 15, a senior citizens forum in connection with the celebration’s theme, “Igalang ang Karapatan ng mga Matatanda,” will be held at the city’s multipurpose hall from 1-5 p.m. The following day October 16, an elderly palaro will be staged.
Sporting events for women are sungka, domino, and Chinese checkers. Men event is chess while breaking the pot, memory game and balloon blowing contest is open to mixed groups of men and women contestants.
A Pista sa Nayon featuring the coronation rites for Lola Lakambinis from FBASECA, PGRA and PVF; the awarding ceremony for the Best Barangay Performing Senior Citizens Associations and a cultural presentation will climax the citywide October elderly month celebration.
Meanwhile, the BARP foundation in partnership with the CSWDO and OSCA will observe its Octoberfest golden years festival on October 31 at the Baguio city national High Auditorium along governor pack road.
The day’s offering starts with the presentation of the prestigious Gintong Tala Luminary Award for exemplary leadership and highly meritorious community service to the 12 Most Outstanding Senior Citizens of Baguio and BARP in the field of government service; Spiritual religious service; Medicine and health care; Education, Military Service; Tourism and Culture; Business and Trade; Humanitarian, Civic-Social Services; Journalism and Sports.
Prof. Balanag said Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has been invited as the principal guest of honor and speaker for the affair. A barrio fiesta highlighted with the Potongan rites of BARP’s Lola Lakambini and a cultural show of Philippine folk dances and songs will also be on the stage.