Bacolod City and the component cities of Bago and Cadiz in Negros Occidental have launched various initiatives to enhance the delivery of services to the elderly.
Mayor Greg Gasataya yesterday led the formal opening of the Senior Citizen Center located behind the Bacolod City Government Center.
“In a comfortable and senior-friendly setting, we have all of the services for our seniors,” Gasataya said.
Considered a first-of-its-kind one-stop-shop concept, the facility offers free services such as medical checkup and consultation, glasses and eye checkup, pharmacy medicines and dental services.
Also available are processing of senior citizen identification cards, social pension and ladderized centenarian benefits, as well as opportunities for livelihood training.
In the adjacent Bago City, Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao led the groundbreaking ceremony of the city’s Senior Citizens Center at Bantayan Park on June 26.
“Through this facility, we are creating a space where they can gather, stay active, access services, and continue to live with dignity, comfort, and purpose,” the mayor said.
She added that the Senior Citizens Center is envisioned to become a welcoming space where senior citizens can participate in meaningful programs and remain active members of the community.
In Cadiz City, the city government is providing an extra annual P50,000 bonus for its three centenarians as provided in the recently approved City Ordinance 09-2026.
“This is on top of the mandated gift or award under the Centenarians Act of 2016. For as long as our centenarian is alive, he or she will receive a P50,000 bonus per year,” Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. said in a statement yesterday.
The Centenarians Act of 2016 qualifies someone who reaches the age of 100 years old to receive the amount of P100,000 each from the national, provincial and city or municipal governments.
The three living centenarians in Cadiz City are Ramona Locsin of Barangay Zone 1, 105 years old; Estilita Alimpolos of Barangay Sicaba, 103 years old; and Maria Magbanua of Barangay Caduha-an, 101 years old.
“It is our way of honoring the lives, sacrifices, and contributions of Cadiznons who have witnessed generations of the city’s growth and transformation,” Escalante said. (PNA)