DSWD urges private sector to help build homes for elderly

With the opening of a new facility for neglected and abandoned older persons in Tanay in Rizal province, the Social Welfare department is urging the private sector to help government efforts in setting up care facilities. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) acting Secretary Celia Capadocia- Yangco pointed out a growing concern for the care of the elderly, especially amid the growing trend of labor migration. “With more and more Filipinos considering going abroad to seek employment opportunities, their attention to the elderly in the family undermined," she said in an interview with GMANews.TV. She added that more and more care facilities need to be put up to ensure the well-being of older people among us. “If there are care facilities available, Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are willing to pay for the care of their elderly members," she said. Yangco said the DSWD has decided to transfer the Golden Acres (home for the abandoned and neglected elderly) from Bago Bantay in Quezon City to Sampaloc in Tanay, where a bigger and better facility –the Golden Acres: Haven for the Elderly –has been erected. She added that some 270 elderly who have been staying at Golden Acres in Bago Bantay, Quezon City can now find fulfillment in the comfort of the new facility. The new center has nine cottages that can accommodate 300 elderly people at a given time. It has two staff houses, multi-purpose building, an infirmary unit, and one unit each for the central kitchen and central laundry, as well as the administration building. In 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allocated P200 million for the transfer of Golden Acres from Quezon City to Tanay. Being managed by the DSWD, the new facility sits on a hilly 10-hectar lot, a conducive environment for the care and well-being of the elderly. "The Golden Acres: Haven for the Elderly is designed to be a center of excellence, equipped with brand new facilities to ensure the well-being of the older persons," Yangco said. Earlier in April, the first batch of some 30 able-bodied older persons were transferred to this facility together with Golden Acres staff for them to enjoy quality senior lives, according to Acting Secretary Yangco. Aside from managing the Golden Acres, the DSWD also operates residential care centers for victims of trafficking – the Haven for Women and the Marillac Hills. Both centers are in Alabang in Muntinlupa City. [See: RP presses for tough intl action vs cyber child porn] The Haven for Women caters to disadvantaged women, 18 to 59 years old, who were abused, exploited and trafficked, while Marillac Hills is a rehabilitation center for girls and teenagers, 7 to 17, who were abused or were in conflict with the law. —Fernando dela Cruz/LBG, GMANews.TV