Retirement is often associated with feelings of being useless and alone that lead to lowered self-esteem and depression. Not quite for employees of the provincial government of Davao del Norte who are of retirement age.
Thanks to the Provincial Capitol Retirees Association (PCRA), retireable employees of this first class province can now look forward to blissful retirement minus the awful feeling of being suddenly cut off from the institution they have long served in their productive years.
In addition to the task of facilitating the timely release of their retirement benefits, the government organized the capitol retirees two years ago in order to reestablish the bond with their former co-workers and to continue their fellowship and camaraderie with their fellow retirees.
A brainchild of Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario, the PCRA receives moral, technical, financial and spiritual assistance from the Capitol through the Provincial Human Resource Management Office (PHRMO).
“Many of our old employees facing retirement are not ready to retire. so, I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for them to stay connected with their former colleagues at the Capitol along with their fellow retirees,” said the governor.
Elsa Baldoza, 67, a former legislative officer at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, expressed gratitude to the governor for organizing the PCRA.
She had shared a feeling of sadness and emptiness when she retired two years ago after serving the province for more than 30 years. She would often return to the Capitol to visit her former officemates, coping with nostalgia the moment she started socializing with fellow retirees through the activities of the PCRA.
“We enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship,” she said, adding that it helped patch up past personal differences with some of her fellow-retirees.
Del Rosario wants the PCRA to give voice to the retirees. [NOBAGS]
He noted the retirees’ involvement in the association is one great avenue for them to continue being productive and still feel like there is some usefulness left in their life.
PHRM officer Monica Salido said national officials from the Association of Personnel Officers in the Philippines confirmed that Davao del Norte was the first provincial local government unit in the country to organize its own retired workers.
She said a livelihood program will soon be available to the retirees for them to have something really productive to do in their spare time.
To celebrate its providential beginnings, the PCRA held its first annual general assembly recently at the Molave Hotel in Tagum City where it elected its first set of officers headed by former provincial engineer Vicente Evangelio, replacing the interim set of officers that served for two years.
The following day, the PCRA launched the ‘Lingap Pangkalusugan’, a free medical outreach program for the retirees sponsored by the provincial government at the GSP Building.
About a hundred Capitol retirees availed of electrocardiograph (ECG), blood sugar screening, and complete blood count services, among other health services.
Provincial health officer Dr. Agapito Hornido, who supervised the event, said more free medical services will be available soon for the retirees in coming outreach activities.
Baldoza said the PCRA activities, particularly the medical outreach, greatly benefitted the members, some of whom still have not received their retirement benefits for some reasons.
“We are grateful to the governor for bringing back our self-worth and for giving us some attention although we are no longer working at the Capitol,” she said.
