Green and yellow balloons decorated the Plaza Sugbo as the opening of Cebu City Senior Citizens Month was celebrated yesterday morning.
Activities included the blessing of the Cebu City Senior Citizens Park.
“Although it is is designed for senior citizens, it is open for everyone,” said Rolando Llaguno, head of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).
The opening coincided with the filing by members of Team Rama of their certificates of candidacy (COC) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu City office, a few blocks away after they attended Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
Team members in green and yellow campaign shirts were joined by hundreds of supporters.
Some senior citizens who attended the opening salvo also wore shirts that read “We love (heart) Mike Rama and Edgar Labella head.
Llaguno said they didn’t expect the political activity to fall on Friday and thought it would be done earlier in the week.
“It is incidental. We didn’t expect that it will also be in time for the filing of COCs. This is even the last day of filing,” Llaguno told Cebu Daily News.
The opening of the celebration was first set for Oct. 1 then was moved to Oct. 5 by the City Council, he said. Other activities are lined up for senior citizens in the Saturdays ahead.
There’s tree planting in barangay Pulangbato on Oct. 13. On Oct. 20, a health and fun day will be held as well as Senior Citizens Got Talent on Oct. 20.
On the last Saturday of Oct. 27, a senior citizens congress will be held.
The theme of the celebration is “Nakatatanda: Sa bisa ng RA 9994, may dangal, nagkakaisa, buhay ay gumiginhawa.”
The celebration is being supported by the Cebu City government, through the OSCA, the Department of Social Welfare and Services and the Cebu City Senior Citizens Council.
Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 grants additional benefits and privileges to senior citizens, such as a 20 percent discount on transportation fare and medicine. /CONTRIBUTOR JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA