Some 16 senior citizens here get a chance of running the city government’s offices as part of the Senior Citizens Official for a Day (SCOFAD) program which runs for two Mondays this month.

The SCOFAD officials who underwent three screenings before Monday’s service are Elizabeth Ong, designated to head the Bureau of Internal Revenue; Rose Mary Dispo, Civil Service Commission; Manuel Palor, Commission of Elections; Clemente Marzan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Antonio Cortes Jr., Department of the Interior and Local Government; Frederick Garcia, Department of Health; Corazon Trinidad, Department of Labor and Employment; Marylene Fontanilla, Department of Tourism; Jeanira Okubo, Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The other SCOFAD for the regional offices are Caroline Santiago, Department of Trade and Industry; Edith Alagon, Environmental Management Bureau; Joseph Cabreros, National Bureau of Investigation; Cristina Dela Cruz, Philippine Information Agency; Cristino Balancio, Department of Agriculture; Elizabeth Aquino, Commissioner of the Northern Luzon Clustered Regional Office – NCSC; and Melendre Eustaquio who retired among division heads at the district engineering office of the Department of Public Works and Highways serving as regional director of the agency.

Liza Bulayungan, head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), on Monday said the activity is anchored on Republic Act 7432 motivates and encourages the elderly to contribute to nation-building.

“Their contributions to the community should be maximized,” she said.

The SCOFAD for the city government department heads will serve on Oct. 17.

The SCOFAD qualifiers are Baguio residents and members of a Senior Citizen Organization accredited by the CSWDO.

Bulayungan said the criteria in the selection are based on the educational background, jobs or business history, personal qualities and character traits, achievements and accomplishments, community involvement and service, and with at least five awards received.

The SCOFAD for the city offices will be led by retired city government employee Epifania Tamiao as the city’s lone representative to the Congress while Alexander Wasian will sit as Mayor and Luz Abella taking over as Vice Mayor for a day.

The SCOFAD is part of the commemoration of the annual elderly month celebration every October.

Meanwhile, Councilor Elmer Datuin, chairman of the city council committee on social services, women, and urban poor, cited the need for the city government to uplift its services for the elderly.

“We need to take care of the sector of our community that has contributed much in making it what it is today. Our seniors are, after all, very much a part of the society,’ Datuin said in a phone interview.

Datuin is filing a measure seeking to more benefits to the sector in the city.

“It’s about time that government allocates more resources that will help our seniors, whose lives are nearing an end, to live more years in basic comfort and their needs are met,” Datuin said. (PNA)