Antique provincial board member Dino Ruel Operiano wants a senior citizens center be established in all the municipalities of the Province of Antique.
Operiano, who chairs the social sector in the provincial sanggunian, said that the senior citizens center should be included in the Annual Investment Program (AIP) of Antique for next year or 2011.
He said, “the budget for the center must be included in the 2011 annual appropriation of the province and the utilization of the Internal Revenue allotment (IRA).
Operiano pledged to convince the council to construct the senior citizens center as part of the government’s program for the elderly. The center will also be the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) for the towns. It will be used as conference and meeting place for the elderly.
Likewise, the center will provide education materials, venue for conducting skills trainings and a one-stop shop of information regarding the town’s program for the elderly.
He said that only nine out of 18 municipalities in the province of Antique have centers for the elderly. These are in the towns of Bugasong, Hamitc, Pandan, Patnongon, San Jose, Sibalom, Tobias Fornier, Tubungan, and Valderama.
The social sector of the province is chaired by Operiano and Lazaro Petinglay of the provincial social welfare and development office (PSWDO) as co-chair.
7th SC Congress
In a related development, the provincial government of Antique is set to conduct the 7th Senior Citizens Congress this November.
According to Antique provincial board member Dino Ruel Operiano, the annual event is set to honor the elderly in the province as well as discuss senior citizens’ rights and needs. It is slated on November 22 to 23.
“The two-day congress will discuss the various programs of the provincial government intended for the elderly community. Other topics include health care, social services, and the strict implementation of the Expanded Senior Citizens Law”, Operiano stressed.
Five top senior citizens’ friendly barangays will also be awarded during the event. These barangays will be cited for their active participation in helping their elderly population, as well as various activities and projects wherein the seniors are partners and beneficiaries.
The province of Antique has 590 barangays in its 18 municipalities.
Operiano currently chairs the Committee on Social Welfare in the provincial council.
Nutrition Summit
Antique Provincial Governor Exequiel B. Javier has instructed the Provincial Planning and Development Office to hold a Provincial Nutrition Summit as soon as possible. This instruction came out after the Philippine Nutrition Council informed the governor that 41.19 percent of the children in Antique are malnourished.
The nutrition summit is aimed to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition in Antique especially among children 1 to 6 years old. (PNA) /MP
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