Bahay Kanlungan in Valenzuela City now houses 77 senior citizens

The Bahay Kanlungan: Tahanan nina Lolo at Lola in Valenzuela City now houses 77 senior citizens who do not have families and homes.

According to Katrina Son's report on "24 Oras Weekend," Sunday, among those living in the facility is 63-year-old Rolando Arselon, who used to sleep in a jeep.

"I clean the jeep then the owner will give me P20 in the morning so I can get coffee. After, I sleep," he said in a mix of English in Filipino.

Now staying in a safer place, Rolando could only say one thing: "The best!"

"The food, I'm speechless. Everything's here, you don't have to look for anything else. Our medicine, it's here," he said.

According to Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian, most of the senior citizens staying in the facility are not even from the city.

"We found them on national highways, like they intended to get lost. Others don't even know how to speak in Tagalog," he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

"Most have Alzheimer's so as much as we wanted to return them to their families, we can't because they don't know," added Dorothy Go, head of City Social Welfare Development Office.

The facility opened in the first quarter of 2021. Aside from bedrooms, the four-story Bahay Kanlungan also has common areas and a roof deck for activities such as exercising.

It also has its own clinic, physical therapists, psychologists, nutritionists, and house parents who watch over the senior citizens 24/7.

The Bahay Kanlungan: Tahanan nina Lolo at Lola can house up to 90 senior citizens.

—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA News