BAGUIO CITY – Senior citizens should to continue their involvement in activities for the betterment of not only their sector but of others as well.
This was the collective message of city officials led by Rep. Marquez Go, Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Acting Mayor Edison Bilog during the closing program of the Elderly Month celebration last Oct. 25 at the Baguio Convention Center.
Bilog and Go and Domogan who spoke through representatives Pastor John Bagalawis and secretary to the mayor Rafael Tallocoy respectively cited the importance of the contributions of the elderlies not only in caring for the welfare of one another but also in molding the youth and in providing inputs to concerns for community development and nation-building.
Social welfare officer Florecita Tul-an of the city social welfare development office encouraged the different senior citizens associations to “further reach out to all their members and to actively involve themselves in all our undertakings.”
“Let us all remember that our small deeds will greatly affect the whole of humanity so together we continue working hand-in-hand and shoulder-to-shoulder to bring difference in the lives of the senior citizens of the city,” she said.
Tul-an said the city government has been supportive of the programs for the elderly populace through the conduct of activities that are now institutionalized to provide their sector “the opportunity to social and to express and improve themselves.”
“”Also it is only way of proving to the society that senior citizens can still be as productive just like their tender years and that they have the talents, skills and beauties to showcase and share to the younger generation in consonance to this year’s Elderly Month Celebration theme, ‘Pagkilala sa Kakayahan, Ambag at Paglahok ng mga Nakakatanda sa Lipunan.’”
During the program, the city honored the 12 outstanding elderlies who received the Gintong Tala Luminary Award for exemplary leadership and extraordinary services in the city’s community development efforts.
The awardees were Jamal Makarangkat for spiritual and religious service; Coun. Elaine Sembrano for government service-legislative department; retired city general services officer Romeo Concio for government service-executive department; Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Mia Joy Oallares-Cawed for government service-judiciary; Opthalmologist Ronaldo Paraan for health and medicine; University of the Cordilleras officer-in-charge president Ray Dean Salvosa, education;
Baguio Museum OIC-executive director Stela De Guia for tourism and culture; businesswoman Nancy Alabanza for business and trade; Retired Philippine National Police Gen. Villamor Bumanglag for military service; OCSWADO officer Betty Fangasan for fraternal social and civic service; retired Radyo ng Bayan station manager Roger Mercado, journalism; and fomer city councilor Rufino Panagan, sports.
Awards committee chair former city councilor Nars Padilla said the awardees were recognized and cited for their individual “exemplary leadership, performance and achievement in their respective profession, vocation or career and for their outstanding participation in civic-social or environmental development activities for a better Baguio either as a club member-officer or as an individual volunteer.”
During the program, the city will presented the Lakan and Lakambini elderlies with the ceremonial walk, presentation of medallions, flower crowns, trophies and bouquet with the corresponding “harana” and dance of the royal court.
A cultural show, awarding of winners in the poem-writing contest and community dancing capped the celebration.
The month-long observance was jointly sponsored by the city government and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in partnership with the Baguo Elderly Association, the Federation of Baguio Senior Citizen Associations (FBASECA), Veterans Federation of the Philippines, Blessed Association of Retired Persons Foundation Inc. (BARP), the Philippine Government Retirees Association (PGRA) and the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). /Aileen P. Refuerzo
