NCSC Pushes for Purpose-Driven Life for Seniors; Opens Baguio Office and Explores SC3C with Mayor Magalong

In a significant step toward promoting the welfare of elderly Filipinos, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) led a Service Caravan for senior citizens  on 05 August  2025, in Baguio City, which coincided with the blessing and inauguration of its Cordillera Administrative Region office located at the 4th Floor, DBP Building, Session Road. 

The day also included a high-level meeting between NCSC Chairperson and CEO Dr. Mary Jean Loreche and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, where both parties explored strategic partnerships to elevate the quality of life of senior citizens. Central to the discussion was the potential launch of the Senior Citizens Community Care Center (SC3C) in the city—an initiative designed to provide holistic, community-based support services to the elderly. Commissioner Ricardo Rainier G. Cruz III showed support to this vital undertaking together with NCSC CAR Regional Director Atty. Luz Laureta Balisong and some Division Heads and support staff from the NCSC Central Office.

In her message during the caravan, Dr. Loreche stressed that providing work opportunities to senior citizens is not only about monetary gain, but about restoring their sense of purpose and belonging. “It is the sense of belongingness and inclusivity that will compensate more than the monetary value,” she added.

Dr. Loreche also emphasized the message of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., affirming that senior citizens are important partners in nation-building towards Bagong Pilipinas.

The NCSC continues to strengthen its cross-sectoral collaboration with key national government agencies to create a comprehensive support ecosystem for the elderly. Partner agencies include the Department of Tourism (DOT), which is exploring roles for senior citizens in heritage and cultural tourism; the Department of Agriculture (DA), which is promoting community-based agri-projects where senior citizens can still actively contribute through light farming, gardening, and mentoring younger farmers.

Among the most notable collaborations is the partnership with the SM Group, one of the country’s largest private employers. Through a recently signed memorandum of understanding, the SM Group committed to rehiring senior citizens in roles suited to their capabilities and preferences. These may include customer assistance, information desk services, greeters, store guides, and administrative support, ensuring their tasks are non-strenuous yet meaningful. 

This initiative not only enables seniors to earn supplemental income, but more importantly, restores their sense of productivity and purpose, while promoting intergenerational interaction in commercial spaces.

These partnerships exemplify the NCSC’s proactive approach to mainstreaming senior citizen participation across sectors and ensuring that aging does not mean disengagement but a new phase of meaningful contribution to society.

With an estimated 12 million senior citizens nationwide, including 50,000 in Baguio City, the NCSC aims to localize programs and bring government services closer to elderly constituents. The opening of its regional office in Baguio signals the Commission’s commitment to grassroots-level implementation and multi-sector collaboration for the benefit of the elderly. ■