POST-RETIREMENT BLISS: “Project Uswag para sa mga Katigulangan”

Demonstrating commitment to improving the lives of every Ilonggo regardless of age group, Iloilo City is embarking on a project tailored to the needs and overall welfare of the elderly.

“Project Uswag para sa mga Katigulangan,” or PUSK, is a livelihood project aimed at teaching senior citizens arts and crafts hobby skills for sustainable income-generating activities. This also seeks to maximize the utility of the city’s Senior Citizens Centers and enliven the place.

“We want them [senior citizens] to come together when they have nothing to do. Some members of their family go to school or work, so they get bored; they could easily become depressed. But if we have this activity, they will look forward to productively spending time with their fellow senior citizens,” Special Assistant to the Mayor, Maria Mathilde Treñas, said.

She added that the city government believes these kinds of programs could give senior citizens a sense of purpose even after they retire from the workforce.

Not only are they equipped with skills that could provide them financial benefits but also help maintain their cognitive function, have some fruitful pastime, mingle with others for social and emotional support, maintain mobility with less strenuous activities, and generally have something to look forward to enhancing their overall well-being.

PUSK is set to launch in time with the celebration of the 87th Charter Day of Iloilo City, and full implementation is targeted in September.

The livelihood program for the Ilonggo elderly will be piloted in Barangay PHHC Block 22, Mandurriao, and Barangay Sta. Filomena, Arevalo. Senior citizens from Mandurriao will learn about rug weaving and potholder making, while those from Arevalo will make box file holders or desk organizers out of recycled materials.

One representative per barangay will undergo a four-day training to be carried out by the Technical Institute of Iloilo City.
Program funds will be sourced through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affair (OSCA).

PUSK is also in partnership with the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of the Philippines—Iloilo City Chapter and the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

Each district will have its signature product, which will be displayed in the OSCA office at City Hall and in exhibits whenever the city has events. Barangays will be given working kits for everyone to use within the premises of Senior Citizens Centers only.

“The sale of their products will provide their association with a source of income. On our part in the city government, we will provide personnel who will look after the Senior Citizens Center,” Treñas added. (Pearl Socias/City PIO)