The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Mimaropa, through the Social Pension Program spearheaded this year's Ulirang Nakatatanda Awards (UNA) at the Selah Garden Hotel on October 26.
The Social Pension Program is an arm/section of DSWD Mimaropa involved in the direct implementation and monitoring of the programs, policies, and services for indigent senior citizens of the region.
The theme for this year's celebration is “Honoring the Invaluable Legacy of Filipino Senior Citizens”, which highlights the contributions and significant milestones of the senior citizens in the region, contributing to change and promoting a positive impact in the society.
This year's celebration marks another milestone for UNA, as this is the first time that the esteemed awarding ceremony will be commemorated after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. UNA also serves as a culminating activity of the celebration of Elderly Filipino Week, which is celebrated every first week of the month of October in the country.
This prestigious ceremony is a testament to the timeless contributions of senior citizens who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their communities. The 2023 edition of these awards showcased a celebration of wisdom, resilience, and a lifetime of giving back.
UNA features several categories to encompass the diversity of the contributions made by senior citizens.
For the professional individual category, Liwayway D. Saguid from the province of Oriental Mindoro bagged the number 1 award in which she garnered a score of 86.4%. Liwayway Saguid is a teacher by profession for many years and has been an active member of the catholic women's league for more than 50 years, wherein she contributes a lot for the success of the charity works of the organization. She also served as a farm manager of Benevolent Soil Agri-Farm Technology and Training Center in Gloria wherein she was instrumental in helping farmers further hone their skills in farming and other means of agricultural livelihood.
Meanwhile, Lauro De Belen who also hails from Oriental Mindoro attained the award for the Government category where he authored and co-authored different resolutions and ordinances passed and enacted by the Sangguniang Bayan of Gloria.
Also, from Oriental Mindoro, the association of Luna Senior Citizens bagged the number 1 award for the group category for having significant contributions in the lives of their fellow senior citizens and communities through public service, innovative resource generation activities and positive impact/influence in their families, community leaders and other sectors in their area.
Meanwhile, UNA also recognized the Local Government Units who had a profound contribution in promoting the social pension programs of DSWD in their respective areas. Bagging the award is the Abra de Ilog LGU from Occidental Mindoro.
