HELP US! JOIN US!

Dear Friends:

Please help us and join us in our Campaign to Save Golden Acres in Quezon City. Here's some of our answers to why you should:


1. The closure of Golden Acres in Quezon City would deprive the National Capital Region of a DSWD residential care facility which can house for free and accommodate 237 homeless and abandoned senior citizens. A new DSWD Haven for the Elderly was built to replace Golden Acres. This new facility is a welcome addition to serve more homeless lolos and lolas roaming in our streets. But to close Golden Acres would be to lose a facility located strategically where it can serve more and better.

2. The present resident lolos and lolas may lose the friends they found in Golden Acres who visit them here if they were all transfered to Tanay, Rizal. Friends and donors visit them in Golden Acres at the back of SM North. The rich and the poor alike find it easy to visit them and generously give gifts, donations and friendship to our lolos and lolas there.

3. Legally the lot was intended to serve the aged and infirm as provided for by Proclamation 389 signed by former President Ferdinand Marcos.

4. Employees of the Golden Acres would be forced to transfer work to the new Haven for the Elderly in Tanay, Rizal. This transfer of work would place them far from their families. Sure, these employees are public servants and where duty calls them, they are prepared to obey. But their services, like Golden Acres, is a public need too in Metro Manila. Besides, why not give opportunity for government service employment to the people of Tanay?

5. To lose Golden Acres would be to lose an institution of historic worth. Why not save Golden Acres as a memento of our nation's concrete expression of the Filipino's care for the less fortunate elderlies in our society?

What can we do to support this campaign?

1. For public awareness building, we can text to our friends: SAVE GOLDEN ACRES, HOME OF OUR HOMELESS LOLOS AND LOLAS IN QUEZON CITY!

2. For a direct action advocacy, we can also text our message through the feedback and suggestions system of the DSWD. Text DSWD FEEDBACK YOUR NAME AND MESSAGE(SAVE GOLDEN ACRES IN QC!) and send to 7003793 (one peso per message).

3. We can email the DSWD Acting Secretary Celia C. Yangco: ccy@dswd.gov.ph to ask for the retention and continued operation of Golden Acres in Quezon City.

4. We can write letters to the editor, to our senators, congressmen/women, the President and Vice President.

5. And, we can coordinate with other advocacy activities of the Save Golden Acres Campaign through Manny R. Baclagon, SWEAP Spokesperson, @ 931-8101 local 229 & 09065798359].

We need you. Please help us.

Maraming salamat po at magtagumpay po tayo!


Para sa kawani at publiko,


RAMON FELIPE E. LOZA
National President
SWEAP-COURAGE

SWEAP ADVOCACY ACTIONS TO SAVE GOLDEN ACRES

The Social Welfare Employees Association of the Philippines (SWEAP) vowed to undertake more advocacy actions to show unity and support to the Save Golden Acres Campaign.

In a national convention held at the Kimberly Hotel in Malate, Manila, April 27-30, 2010, SWEAP chapters all over the Philippines reaffirmed its previous national resolutions to oppose the closure of the Golden Acres Home for the Aged in Bago Bantay, Quezon City.

Each SWEAP chapter committed itself to conduct advocacy activities such as petition signing, textbrigade, media releases, discussions in gatherings and meetings, poster and streamer-hanging to concretely express its position to ask for the retention and continued operation of Golden Acres.

Furthermore, the council resolved to lobby DBM and Congress for additional funds to ensure that this historical and only national government-owned and operated institution in the National Capital Region would continue to serve as a home for the homeless senior citizens as intended for by Proclamation No. 389.

Let Us Save the Home of Our Less Fortunate Lolo’s and Lola’s in Quezon City

As most of our media and public’s attention is focused on the forthcoming national election in May, a national government facility which is almost an historical institution is about to be taken away from us. Actually, it has already started and is now ongoing.

Last April 16, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) started to transfer 29 elderly residents and 8 contract of service workers to take care of these residents from the Golden Acres Home for the Aged in Bago Bantay, Quezon City (at the back of SM North) to the newly built Haven for the Elderly in Tanay, Rizal (beside Camp Capinpin).

Background on the Transfer and Closure of the Golden Acres From Quezon City To Tanay, Rizal

Background

After 40 years, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) now plans to transfer the Golden Acres Home for the Aged, a residential facility managed by the DSWD National Capital Region Field Office) from its present site in Misamis St. Bago Bantay, Quezon City (beside SM North) to Barangay Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal (beside Camp Capinpin) to be managed by the DSWD-Field Office IV-A (CALABARZON Region) on April 16, 2010.