Some 50 senior citizens in Quezon City will soon be employed, as part of the initiatives of the government to allow them to work again and make a living.

In a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in cooperation with Ang Probinsyano Party-List Rep. Ronnie Ong and the Local Government of Quezon City on Monday, members of the marginalized sector will be employed at the hospital under a special job program.

Labor Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez said the senior citizens will be employed under the Tulong Pangkabuhayan sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program.

It is a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment to displaced or terminated workers, the underemployed, seasonal workers and self-employed workers who have lost their livelihoods due to natural calamities and economic crises.

PCMC Executive Director Julius Lecciones expressed support to the program.

“They can still contribute to the development of our country by sharing their knowledge and experiences with the younger workforce,” he said.

He added that they will be deployed to areas that are safe for elders.

The Quezon City government, through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), will provide the list of the senior citizens living near the PCMC who can join the program.

Qualified senior citizens will receive a 100 percent wage for work tendered based on prevailing minimum wage in the National Capital Region.

On the other hand, Ong said the senior citizens will be hired to work at least three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.

He added that salaries of the senior citizen workers under this program shall be based on the minimum salary in each region. In the NCR for example, they would get PHP537 per day.

The lawmaker recently launched the special job program at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Ong said another MOA will be signed with the University of the Philippines (UP) and he is hoping that this program will be replicated in other state universities and public schools nationwide.

Meanwhile, Mercedes Alix, 61, from Barangay UP Campus, one of the beneficiaries of the program, expressed gratitude to the government for this opportunity.

“Masaya kami kasi magkakaroon kami ng hanapbuhay. Malaking tulong po ito sa pamilya ko, sa aking apo (We are happy because we will have a job. This will greatly help our family, especially my granchild,” she said in an interview. (PNA)