Tabaco opens first senior citizens center in Albay

By Rhaydz Barcia

TABACO CITY, Albay --- Albay’s first Senior Citizens Day Center worth P10 million was inaugurated Wednesday in Tabaco City, providing elderly residents with a venue for relaxation, medical check-ups, socialization, and recreational activities.

The facility, located at Hiraya Manawari Nature Park in Barangay San Vicente, was funded through the efforts of the late former representative Edcel C. Lagman and Senator Risa Hontiveros.

Albay First District Rep. Krisel Lagman said the center is the first of its kind in the province and expressed hope that similar facilities would soon be established in five other towns in the district.

“This is the very first senior citizen center to be managed by the DSWD in Albay. This is our joint project with Senator Risa Hontiveros,” Lagman said.

She added that the center would serve as a venue for socialization, recreational activities, and medical services for senior citizens. Operations will be supervised by the Tabaco City local government through its City Social Welfare and Development Office.

According to Lagman, senior citizens may also participate in art and music therapy, gardening, and other wellness activities.

“We have shown how much we appreciate our grandparents. We are grateful to Senator Risa, who helped build the first Senior Citizens Center in Albay managed by the local DSWD, and to everyone who became part of this project. This is for our senior citizens who have taken care of us all their lives,” she said.

Lagman also dedicated the project to her late father, former Rep. Edcel Lagman.

“We also dedicate this to Papa, the late Rep. Edcel C. Lagman, because through him this project was initiated and pushed through,” she added.

Senator Hontiveros, who attended the inauguration, said the project could be replicated in other parts of Albay’s first district.

Hontiveros also reiterated her support for a universal pension program for senior citizens regardless of social status or existing pensions from the Social Security System (SSS) or Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

“Like you, I’m also a senior citizen. We care for and value our elderly who contributed greatly to our country during their prime years. That is why we are pushing for a P1,500 universal pension for all senior citizens, regardless of their social status or whatever pension they receive from SSS or GSIS,” Hontiveros said.

She emphasized that pensions from SSS and GSIS were earned through years of work and should not affect eligibility for the proposed universal pension.

Jane Miraflores, president of the Office of Senior Citizens Associations, lauded the initiative, saying the more than 13,000 senior citizens in Tabaco City and its 47 chapter organizations would greatly benefit from the facility.

Tabaco City Vice -Mayor Glenda Ong-Bongao also welcomed the project, saying it would help senior citizens pursue programs and activities focused on health care and community engagement.

Senator Risa Hontiveros leads the turnover of Albay’s first Senior Citizens Day Center in Barangay San Vicente, Tabaco City, on Wednesday together with Albay First District Rep. Krisel Lagman and Tabaco City Vice-Mayor Glenda Ong-Bongao. The P10-million facility includes a social hall, clinic, and other amenities designed for senior citizens.