MANILA, Philippines — Inspired by Valenzuela City’s Bahay Kalinga, Sen. Win Gatchalian seeks to institutionalize the establishment of nursing homes for neglected and abandoned elderly in every city and municipality.

Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 737, to be known as “Homes for the Abandoned Seniors Act of 2019,” which seeks to establish a nursing home for homeless and abandoned senior citizens to be maintained by a local government unit.

A nursing home provides living accommodations, food and clothing, medical and health care, and recreational and social interaction activities for abandoned or homeless senior citizens.

Gatchalian has been advocating for the establishment of a shelter for abandoned elders since he was in the House of Representatives representing the First District of Valenzuela during the 16th Congress..

In 2012, Valenzuela established a nursing home dubbed as “Bahay Kalinga” or House of Care. There are currently 25 homeless or abandoned senior citizens receiving housing and healthcare at Bahay Kalinga.

The home serves as a halfway house for the elderly as well as abandoned, neglected and unwanted children while the local government helps them in contacting their existing relatives, Gatchalian said.

Because of the low success rate of turning over the elderly to their relatives, plans are already underway to expand the facility that can accomodate more occupants in the future, he said. (Tracy Ang/IAMIGO/Currentph.com)