BUTUAN CITY --   The Regional Inter-Agency Committee on Senior Citizens (RIAC-SC) chaired by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga, with members from various government agencies convened on Wednesday, November 9 at Por Cristo Foundation Incorporated in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte for the Culmination Activity of the National Elderly Filipino Week celebration with the theme "Older Persons: Resilience in Nation-Building." 

The said celebration aims to recognize the significant contributions of older persons and the role that they play in our respective communities.

Fr. Ronnie Licayan, executive director of Por Cristo Foundation, Inc. expressed that the gesture shown by the members of the RIAC-SC Caraga was an answered prayer. 

"Your visit in our facility is already a gift especially that the abandoned elderly men and women here want to see visitors to feel that they are loved and remembered. We also appreciate those who continue to extend help for our elderlies and constantly visit them here. Thank you, everyone for your love and support," he said.

Fr. Licayan also encouraged every family in the communities to take care of each other, and never set aside their responsibility of taking care of their parents when they get old. “We hope and pray that every family will maintain the culture of good family ties; to never abandon the parents, because God wants us to treat each other rightfully as we were all created in His image,” he said.

As their way of welcoming the guests/visitors from RIAC-SC, the elderly women and men of Por Cristo Foundation, with all smiles on their faces, also showed their talents through rendering a song, spoken poetry, and dance. 

According to Moriah Tambura, social welfare officer II/ focal person for senior citizens, the Elderly Filipino Week is commemorated every October 1 to 7 by Proclamation No. 470, issued by then-President Fidel Ramos on September 26, 1994. “The proclamation establishes the Executive Department’s obligation, via the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to implement a social welfare program supporting the well-being of the elderly. It is believed that older Filipinos are essential members of society who need help and protection in order to live productive and happy lives. The yearly celebration of the Elderly Filipino Week emphasizes the contributions of senior citizens in contributing to the development of the country,” she recalled.

Tambura further called on the different sectors to help the abandoned elderlies and provide for their needs, as the facility such as Por Cristo Foundation also needs a helping hand from other stakeholders. “The RIAC-SC being chaired by DSWD Caraga will continue to promote the welfare and total well-being of our elderly persons, to make them feel that they are loved and they deserve to be treated well,” added Tambura. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)