A LOCAL legislator is pushing for the establishment of a center for recreation, education, health, and social programs for senior citizens.
Cebu City Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr., in his privilege speech during the regular session on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, said the center aims for the services to be integrated and centralized in one place.
Alcover, who chairs the senior citizens’ affairs committee, wants to mirror the senior citizens’ center located in the southern town of Moalboal and senior citizens’ park in Tagum City, Davao.
“We are the Queen City of the south, but somehow, some cities in Mindanao have more advanced facilities for senior citizens…we did not maximize our purchasing power to establish integrated facilities for our senior citizens,” Alcover said.
Alcover said a senior citizens’ center should be present in order for the city to be called a “senior-citizen-friendly place.”
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, meanwhile, agreed with Alcover’s concern, saying that other cities have more advanced facilities for senior citizens.
She recalled there was a building dedicated for senior citizens located in Kawit Island, 800 meters away from the mainland at the South Road Properties area, years ago, but it was demolished.
Pesquera said she will review this year’s annual investment plan if a senior citizens’ center was included.
Councilor Rey Gealon also added in Alcover’s proposal, requesting the mayor’s office to consider building a hospital dedicated for senior citizens.
However, Councilor Mary Ann de Los Santos said she will check her previous authored ordinances, saying she had crafted one before.
De los Santos sponsored City Ordinance No. 2400, which was enacted in September 2014, which requires all hospitals, private or public, and home health care or homes for the aged operating in the city to provide an elderly-friendly health facility.
Section 4 of the Republic Act No. 7876, or the Senior Citizens Center Act, mandates that in every city and municipality of the country, there should be an established senior citizens center under the direct supervision of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in collaboration with the local government unit concerned. / JPS