NCSC brings services to Davao City’s elderly

AS A heartfelt tribute to the city’s senior citizens, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) Regional Office 11 rolled out its ‘Serbisyo Caravan,’ as part of the 2025 Elderly Filipino Week celebration, benefiting hundreds.

 Held in partnership with the City Government of Davao through the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) and the City Health Office (CHO), the initiative reflects this year’s theme “Embracing Age: Living a Life with Dignity and Purpose.” The weeklong celebration aims to recognize the vital role of older persons in nation-building.  

The Elderly Filipino Week, observed every first week of October under Proclamation No. 470 (1994), officially opened on October 1 with a series of community-centered activities including a Walk for Life, Zumba for Wellness, and a Thanksgiving Mass—all designed to promote active aging and social inclusion.

On October 2, the spotlight turned to the Serbisyo Caravan, a multi-agency outreach held at a mall in Toril, where senior citizens received free and direct services from various government offices and private partners. These included PhilHealth member and YAKAP registration, National ID registration from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), OSCA booklet and ID issuance, free flu and pneumococcal vaccines from CHO, free eyeglasses from a private institution, and birth certificate issuance, among others.

Running alongside the caravan was an Information Caravan from October 2 to 3, which provided updates on government programs such as PhilHealth Yakap benefits, and livelihood opportunities or programs from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Filbert Bryan Sollesta, project development officer V of NCSC, emphasized the importance of honoring the contributions of senior citizens and ensuring their continued inclusion in development efforts.

“NCSC is mandated to secure and to ensure that our senior citizens are protected. Atoang gina-promote ang health and wellness, so, daghan kaayo ang mga mandate nga kinahanglan namo tan-awon aron mahatagan og serbisyo ang atong mga senior citizens (NCSC is mandated to secure and ensure that our senior citizens are protected. We promote health and wellness, and we work with partner agencies to deliver the services they need),” Sollesta said.

He added that the commission continues to strengthen its partnerships to make government programs more accessible to older persons, especially those in underserved communities.

“We hope nga ang senior citizens, makita nila ug mag-participate sila sa atong mga programa ug aktibidades kay that’s the only way to give them or mapaabot sa ilaha ang kinahanglan nilang serbisyo gikan sa government (We hope our senior citizens will see the value of these programs and actively participate. That’s the only way we can truly reach them and deliver the services they deserve),” he added.

The celebration will culminate on October 6 with a visitation to elderly persons deprived of liberty, a compassionate gesture that reinforces the inclusive spirit of the week’s activities. PIA DAVAO