Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called for the creation of locally managed elderly homes amid the rising number of abandoned senior citizens in the country.
“Please look into the possibility of LGU-managed homes for the aged because we have noticed the rising instances of abandoned elderlies,” Gatchalian urged the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) during Senate deliberations on its proposed 2025 budget.
“Dumadami ang abandoned senior citizens at nakakalungkot na nakikita natin sila sa kalsada,” he noted.
Gatchalian cited the alarming situation in Valenzuela, which led the local government to establish Bahay Kanlungan, a home for the elderly.
He has filed Senate Bill No. 950, or the Homes for Abandoned Seniors Act, which proposes the creation of nursing homes for the elderly to be managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in coordination with LGUs.
The bill tasks LGUs with constructing these nursing homes.IMT
