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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senior citizen commission officially takes on task of implementing assistance programs for elderly

Senior citizen commission officially takes on task of implementing assistance programs for elderly

Published Mar 14, 2024 07:41 am

At A Glance

  • The ATOP leads various initiatives, such as backing the Senior Citizens Sectoral Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, organizing the Elderly Filipino Week on a national and regional scale, supporting the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines, Inc., and overseeing the Regional Coordinating and Monitoring Board and Regional Inter-Agency for Senior Citizens.
  • DSWD is currently working on additional programs for the elderly, which will eventually be handed over to the NCSC. 
  • These programs include the social pension for indigent senior citizens and the implementation of the Centenarians Act of 2016.
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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday, March 14 formally handed over the implementation of the Assistance to Older Persons (ATOP) to the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), the government body mandated to lead the projects and programs for the elderly.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and NCSC Chairperson Franklin Quijano formalized the transfer of functions and funds to the commission to assist older persons through a ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) at the DSWD Central Office.

The DSWD chief said the ceremony recognizes that even though the ATOP program may have a “small allocation,” its transfer to the NCSC marks a significant step towards empowering the commission.

“We all agreed to have this ceremony because it is the more symbolic way of doing it. We can just let it go, we can just exchange papers through, but it’s a step towards the right direction. We believe that it may be a small step but it’s a giant leap towards that direction of finally empowering NCSC to fulfill the mandate prescribed by law,” Gatchalian said.

The MOA detailed the transfer of the remaining P1.7 million funds for ATOP from the DSWD to NCSC for the implementation of programs, projects, and activities that cater to the well-being of senior citizens.

The ATOP leads various initiatives, such as backing the Senior Citizens Sectoral Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, organizing the Elderly Filipino Week on a national and regional scale, supporting the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines, Inc., and overseeing the Regional Coordinating and Monitoring Board and Regional Inter-Agency for Senior Citizens.

Gatchalian expressed optimism about the potential impact of the transition and stressed the significance of supporting and growing these initiatives.

“Hopefully, this will be taken care of well by the department personnel. We will pass this on to you. Take good care of it. I believe that you will nurture this, and later on, we can begin discussing the bigger programs or projects in the department,” he told NCSC.

He added that the DSWD is currently working on additional programs for the elderly, which will eventually be handed over to the NCSC.

These programs include the social pension for indigent senior citizens and the implementation of the Centenarians Act of 2016.

Republic Act No. 11350, the Act that established the NCSC in 2019, requires the transfer of functions, programs, projects, and activities related to the welfare of senior citizens from the DSWD to the commission.

Related Tags

Secretary Rex Gatchalian NCSC National Commission of Senior Citizens DSWD
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