The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) new intergenerational project, “Apo Ko: Kwento ni Lolo’t Lola, Gabay ng Kabataan,” will foster the bond between Filipino elders and young children, a senior agency official said on Monday (April 28).
During the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the local government unit of Tanay, Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD’s Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) highlighted the significance of the project to preserve Filipino values among young children.
“When Secretary Rex Gatchalian and our team were conceptualizing this Apo Ko project, the vision was clear. We wanted to bring back the lost bond between our lolos and lolas with our young kids,” Undersecretary Punay said in his message during the MOA signing held at Greenhills, San Juan City.
The ‘Apo Ko’ project is an intergenerational initiative designed to preserve and pass down the rich Filipino heritage by allowing older persons from the DSWD’s centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs) to share their knowledge and experiences related to cultures, traditions, and practices to young children who are 4 years old and attending the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sessions or classes.
“If we teach our children the rich cultural values of Filipinos including love of God, love of parents, love of self, love of neighbors, we believe that those will definitely guide them as they step into the future of this country,” Undersecretary Punay pointed out.
Aside from Undersecretary Punay, other signatories of the MOA were Mayor Rafael Tanjuatco of Tanay, Rizal and Assistant Regional Director for Administration (ARDA) Alkent Bacolod of the DSWD’s Field Office CALABARZON.
The MOA stipulates the duties and responsibilities of the involved parties in the successful implementation of the project, including the conduct of necessary activities, assignment of focal persons, and allotment of
resources and logistical resources.
Present to witness the ceremonial signing were Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO) Bienvenido Barbosa Jr of the DSWD’s FO National Capital Region (NCR), Director Helen Suzara of the Social Technology Bureau (STB), and Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer of Tanay, Rizal Brecia Joy Monje.
Also present were Rex Bookstore Chief Executive Officer Don Timothy Buhain; representatives from the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCS), Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCDC); and lolos and lolas from the DSWD’s Golden Reception and Action Center for the Elderly and Other Special Cases (GRACES) who are part of the Apo Ko project’s ‘Dream Team.’ (AKDL)