BY ACE CYRELLE PAGLINAWAN, KHADIJAH SALACOP, MARINA VILLEGAS | CMU INTERNS
THE OFFICE of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) is expanding employment, training, and educational opportunities for the elderly through partnerships with government agencies and the private sector.
OSCA head Lorenzo Borja said they continue to implement programs aimed at providing opportunities for senior citizens beyond financial assistance, including employment initiatives, skills training, scholarship programs, and computer literacy activities.
Among the employment-related programs was a proposed measure that would provide incentives to establishments hiring senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Borja said the ordinance may be approved this year.
He also cited opportunities being offered through the Commission on Higher Education, which has allotted 100 slots for senior citizens under one-year contractual work arrangements. The placement would depend on an applicant’s skills
Apart from employment opportunities, OSCA continues to offer scholarship assistance amounting to P15,000 per beneficiary. He said the program is open not only to senior citizens but also to their children and grandchildren.
Skills training remains among the office’s priority programs, such as a massage therapy training for senior citizens, with over 25 participants marking the second batch of graduates last year.
The office also maintains partnerships with the National Commission on Senior Citizens, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Social Security System, and other agencies for programs benefiting senior citizens.
Borja quoted that senior citizens may also receive computer literacy training through OSCA facilities, including its satellite office in Toril Poblacion. The office also conducts activities under its Senior Citizens Care program, where participants can engage in exercise, karaoke, sports, and other activities that promote their welfare and well-being.
