First LGU-operated Home for the Aged opens in Angeles City
ANGELES CITY — There will no longer be homeless senior citizens in this highly-urgbanized city after the City Government here led by Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. inaugurated on September 15 Bale Pusu, the first city-operated Home for the Aged.
“No more homeless senior citizens. No more elderly will stay in the streets. Lingapan tala pu, pakit tamu ing lugud Angeleño para kareng mangatwa,” Lazatin said after the opening of the facility.
The mayor, Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II, Vice-Mayor Vicenta “Vicky” Vega-Cabigting, Chief Adviser IC Calaguas, and Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel led the short ceremony for the opening of Bale Pusu.
They were joined by City Engineer Donato Dizon, City Social Welfare and Development Officer Edna Duaso, Gender and Development Office Head Mina Cabiles, Angeles City Tourism Officer-in-Charge Anneleen Antonio-Sugui, City Auditor Amelita Inovero, and members of the Local Finance Committee that include City Treasurer Juliet Quinsaat, City Budget Officer Corazon Ayson, and City Accountant Genoveva Dizon.
Located in Barangay Sta. Teresita, Bale Pusu will initially house 8 to 12 homeless female senior citizens. It will have a receiving area, activity area, bedrooms, mess hall and kitchen.
Locally-made house dresses or “daster”, made by Angeleña designer Rosette Ramos-Biag and hired home-based mananahis under the Angeleño First Livelihood Program, will be provided the grandmas.
Inside the Bale Pusu is a working staff, composed of social workers and additional house parents from the City Social Welfare and development Office (CSWDO). Their medical needs will be provided by doctors and health workers from the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center led by Dr. Froilan Canlas who will conduct regular check-ups on the housed seniors while city nutritionists will prepare their meal plan.
There will be daily activities for the elderly.
Calaguas said Bale Pusu is a welcome development for the city as it ensures no senior citizen will stay in the streets while Manuel added that another building will be constructed that can house about 40 homeless senior citizens.
Lazatin came up with the idea of establishing a Home for the Aged in the city, considering the city has enough funds, due to difficulties in referrals, having a limited bed capacity.
“Mayor Lazatin said it’s about time the city had its own home for the aged,” Calaguas, who with Manuel have been helping homeless senior citizens, referring them to institutions in their personal capacity, shared.
The welfare of the elderly is a priority of the mayor as he has instructed that senior citizens be given free vaccines against flu and pneumonia even before the pandemic hit.
In November 2020, 462 bedridden seniors were given Php2,000 cash assistance and calcium carbonate supplements via door-to-door delivery, a program he started in 2019 in fulfillment of his campaign promise.
Amid the pandemic, the City Government carried out a house-to-house distribution of Vitamin C to 25,000 indigent senior citizens. At least 55,816 seniors also received Php1,000 social amelioration cash assistance and Vitamin C from the City Government in May 2020. (ANGELES CIO)
