The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) together with the World Health Organization (WHO) pushed for the validation of the draft of the Philippine Plan of Action for Senior Citizens (PPASC) 2023-2028 during the three-day national validation workshop held in Cebu.
The draft PPASC 2023-2028 was developed in July 2022 and a recent writeshop was conducted in Tagaytay to firm up the plan.
Held July 19-21, 2023, the NCSC and WHO presented and validated with stakeholders the draft of the PPASC 2023-2028 and created guidelines for the Philippine Age Friendly Cities and Communities (PAFCC).
PAFCC focuses on the safety of the elderly, ensures their good health, and makes them involved in the society.
Following the WHO framework for age-friendly communities, there are already eight banner communities in the Philippines which follow these eight domains.
The eight domains are outdoor spaces or buildings, transportation, housing, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, community support and health services, communication and information, and social participation.
Once acted upon, these domains can effectively help overcome barriers to aging well.
Age-friendly communities will use this framework as a prism to see where they stand.
They will collect data, build partnerships, and take action in these areas.
The age-friendly banner communities recognized by NCSC are Sabtang in Batanes, Culion in Palawan, Borongan City in Samar, Camarines Norte, Sta. Catalina Ilocos Sur, Samal Island in Davao, Parañaque City, and Maguindanao.
For Region 7, soon to be recognized as age-friendly communities are the cities of Cebu, Toledo, Talisay, Danao, and Carcar.
NCSC Chairperson Atty. Franklin Quijano, in an interview, said among the efforts of commission is the creation of an organized database system for senior citizens.
NCSC holds online database registration in collaboration with civic organizations in different parts of the country aside from the online registration on their website.
As of July 2023, NCSC has registered 2,274,531 senior citizens aged 60 to 100 years old across the country.
“Good decisions can be made through accurate online data generation," he said.
The online registration was launched to bridge the gap of the data sharing between the national government agencies and LGUs while boosting the programs of the agency for the elderly.
Part of their initiative is to also partner with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the inclusion of the age-friendly criteria in the awarding of the Seal of Good Local Governance for Barangay (SGLGB).
The SGLGB is a progressive performance assessment and recognition system of the DILG that aims to give distinction to barangays with remarkable performance across various governance areas.
“I am urging the LGUs to put into methods the caring and friendly culture we Filipinos have. Not just caring for the young but also the old. In 15 to 20 years, the number of senior citizens will double so let 's work on these programs now," Quijano said.
NCSC is an agency under the Office of the President that works closely with their partner agencies namely: DILG, Department of Social Welfare Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the WHO.
NCSC aims to create a society where the elderly are valued, respected, and recognized for their lifelong contribution to nation-building.
Their goal is to create a psychologically, physically, and emotionally healthy community of older persons that will look after their well-being, self-reliance, independence, and high quality of life. (MYP/PIA7 Cebu)
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