Union Pickets Dswd Inauguration Of New Facility In Tanay

The national union of the employees of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) picketed today the inauguration of the newly built DSWD Haven for the Elderly in Tanay, Rizal (beside Camp Capinpin) to protest the on-going transfer and deactivation of the Golden Acres in Quezon City. Vice President Noli de Castro was the main guest of the said inauguration.

Leaders of the Social Welfare Employees Association of the Philippines (SWEAP) from the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao conducted their protest action outside the gates of the new DSWD facility and near the gates of Camp Capinpin in Tanay. Soldiers and policemen outnumbered the protesters and a small commotion occurred. But after some negotiation the protesters were eventually allowed to hold a program until Vice President de Castro's convoy of vehicles passed through the gate going to the inauguration.


“We are not against the opening of this additional facility in Tanay. In fact, we should have been allowed by DSWD official to enter and take part in its opening ceremonies. But we insist on exercising our rights to express our strong opposition to the DSWD decisions to close the Golden Acres in Quezon City which has been serving an average of at least 300 lolos and lolas every year and the forcible transfer of employees”, Mr. Manny Baclagon, SWEAP spokesperson said.

The Golden Acres (GA) is one of the three (3) residential care facilities of the DSWD for neglected and abandoned older persons (aged 60 years old and above). The other two facilities are in Tagum City (Region XI) and Zamboanga City (Region IX) in Mindanao. These facilities serve as a residential home addressing the various needs of elderly residents to ensure their health and well-being. A regular staff of 50 and 20 contract of service workers who work on shifts to attend to the elders' needs are affected by the transfer. The union have been protesting this transfer and closure of the Golden Acres in Quezon City since 2007.

Last April 16, the DSWD started to transfer 29 elderly residents and 8 contract of service workers from the Golden Acres in Quezon City (at the back of SM North) to the Haven for the Elderly in Tanay. “A second batch of elderly resident and staff from Golden Acres were transferred this day so that the Vice President would have an audience for the opening ceremony of the new haven for the elderly. Meanwhile, the GA is to be deactivated”, Mon Loza, SWEAP National President said.

For this inauguration, the DSWD officials planned to transfer another 50 elderly residents and 4 contract of service workers from the Golden Acres in Quezon City to the new Haven for the Elderly here in Tanay. But only 30 elderlies were actually transferred because most of the elderly residents were unwilling to transfer or were physically not ready for the almost 2-hour travel from Quezon City to the new facility.