by John Bryan E. Lawas

Around 50 senior citizens gathered on July 16 at the Batong Malake Covered Court for their Midyear General Assembly.

The assembly is a whole-day event organized by the Batong Malake Senior Citizens Association (BMSCA) headed by President Florentino Montemayor Jr. Other private establishments around the Batong Malake area also helped in the event.

The attendees of the event are mostly mobile senior citizens who can participate to the activities done during the assembly but according to Montemayor,”…hindi lahat ng mga naattend sa event ay invited, hindi naman maiiwasan na may gate crashers sa event.”

According to Montemayor, the members will go home with prizes they have won during the assembly. They are also pampered by the staffs of various partner beauty and massage parlors. The aim of the BMSCA’s activities is for the elderly to be able to bond together and for them to enjoy their life as they are in their twilight years.

Likewise, the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) headed by Dr. Federico Cruz also holds an annual event every October in line with Philippine Elderly Week or Proclamation No. 470 (signed on September 06,1994). The activity is exclusive for indigents of Los Baños, Laguna. The event will also have a pampering day and also ballroom competitions which was conducted up to provincial levels.

The activity this October is not yet finalized and further coordination with NGO’s and private establishments around LB is still worked on by the OSCA.