IC Calaguas lead city officials in inspecting Bale Pusu. Contributed photo
ANGELES CITY — A stroke of serendipity – on the very first celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Sunday, July 25 – the city government announced that Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. will open in September the Bale Pusu, the first city-operated home for the elderly.
Lazatin’s chief adviser IC Calaguas made the announcement during an inspection of the facility with Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel, city social welfare and development officer Joy Duaso, city engineer Donato Dizon, and gender and development officer Mina Cabiles.
Bale Pusu, located in Barangay Sta. Teresita, will have a receiving area, activity area, bedrooms, mess hall and kitchen. It will house an initial 12 senior citizens.
Calaguas explained that the center will just be temporary since another building will be constructed that can house about 40 homeless senior citizens.
To date, a working team headed by Duaso is setting up the staff, including social workers, additional house parents, and schedule of daily activities.
The initial plan is to just forge an agreement with the existing home for the aged, but due to difficulties in referrals, having a limited bed capacity, Lazatin came up with the solution of establishing the city’s home for the aged, considering that the city has enough budget.
“Mayor Lazatin said it is about time to have the city’s own home for the aged,” Calaguas said. She and Manuel have been helping homeless senior citizens, referring them to institutions in their personal capacity.
Bale Pusu is a welcome development for the city, also ensuring that no senior citizen will stay on the streets, she noted.
Doctors and health workers from the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center led by Dr. Froilan Canlas will conduct regular check-ups to the housed seniors. In addition, city nutritionists will prepare their meal plan.
The welfare of the elderly has been a priority of Lazatin, administering free vaccines against flu and pneumonia even before the pandemic.
It can be recalled that in November 2020, 462 bedridden seniors each received P2,000 cash assistance and calcium carbonate supplements via door-to-door delivery. He started this program in 2019 as a fulfillment to his campaign promise.
Amid the pandemic, the city government also carried out a house-to-house distribution of Vitamin C to 25,000 indigent senior citizens.
No less than 55,816 seniors also individually received P1,000 social amelioration financial assistance and Vitamin C from the city government last May 2020. Angeles CIO
