ANGELES CITY – There will be no more homeless senior citizens here as the city government, under the leadership of Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. inaugurated Bale Pusu, the first city-operated home for the aged on Sept. 15.
“No homeless senior citizens. No elderly will stay on the streets,” Mayor Lazatin said.
“Lingapan tala pu, pakit tamu ing lugud Angeleño para kareng mangatwa,” Mayor Lazatin urged.
Mayor Lazatin, Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo “Jon” Lazatin II, Vice Mayor Vicenta “Vicky” Vega-Cabigting, Lazatin’s trusted Chief Adviser IC Calaguas, and Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel led the short ceremony for the opening of Bale Pusu.
They were joined by City Engr. Donato Dizon, City Social Welfare and Development Officer Edna Duaso, Gender and Development Office Head Mina Cabiles, Angeles City Tourism Officer-in-Charge Anneleen Antonio-Sugui, Mayor’s Office Senior Staff Anne Salonga, City Auditor Amelita Inovero, and members of the Local Finance Committee — City Treasurer Juliet Quinsaat, City Budget Officer Corazon Ayson, and City Accountant Genoveva Dizon.
Bale Pusu, located in Barangay Sta. Teresita, will initially house 8 to 12 homeless female senior citizens. It will have a receiving area, activity area, bedrooms, mess hall and kitchen.
Locally-made dusters will also be provided to the grandmas, made by Angeleña designer Rosette Ramos-Biag and hired home-based mananahis under the Angeleño First livelihood program.
Inside Bale Pusu are working staff composed of social workers and additional house parents from the CSWDO. There will also be daily activities for the elderly.
Doctors and health workers from the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center led by Dr. Froilan Canlas will conduct regular check-ups on the housed seniors.
In addition, city nutritionists will prepare their meal plan.
Calaguas said that Bale Pusu is a welcome development for the city, ensuring that no senior citizen will stay on the streets.
Manuel meanwhile explained that another building will be constructed that can house about 40 homeless senior citizens.
Mayor Lazatin came up with the solution of establishing the city’s home for the aged, considering that the city has enough budget due to difficulties in referrals, having a limited bed capacity.
“Mayor Lazatin said it is about time to have the city’s own home for the aged,” Calaguas shared.
Calaguas and Manuel have been helping homeless senior citizens, referring them to institutions in their personal capacity.
The welfare of the elderly has been a priority of Mayor Lazatin, administering free vaccines against flu and pneumonia even before the pandemic.
It can be recalled that in November 2020, 462 bedridden seniors received P2,000 cash assistance and calcium carbonate supplements via door-to-door delivery
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He started this program in 2019 as a fulfillment of 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.
Some 55,816 seniors also received P1,000 social amelioration financial assistance and Vitamin C from the city government last May 2020.