The Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) that used to be beside Silliman ballfied in barangay Daro has moved close to the evacuation centre in barangay Talay.
My friend, Ruby, and I discovered this when we went to OSCA on Friday to get her a new blue book. It was another experience in frustration dealing with government services. The only signage indicating the transfer was a short bondpaper posted inside the building that previously housed OSCA.
An inconvenient venture this will be for most seniors who decide to go to the new location up in Talay, in that there are no signs in the old building indicating where the new OSCA location is. And the new location is in an out-of the-way place.
Actually, OSCA has moved to the new location in Talay since April yet, but no one has thought about placing a sign, even rudimentary like cardboard, to indicate where it actually is. A de-service to seniors who walk, or take the pedicab to get anywhere. And with no signage, it’s a hopeless situation.
After our experience in the old location, we sent out messages to friends and family to give them a heads-up. Some of their responses:
“Very inconvenient to go there [in Talay] because of the distance, and more expensive for the fare. Kinsa mang buanga gabuot ana? M’opay mga gulang na ning mga senior, the one [near] SUMC was very accessible for transportation. Sa Talay you have to pakyaw [a pedicab] kay lisod salakyan pag pauli.”
“Sus, m’opay gulang, with physical and financial difficulties, lisod lisod-on pa jud ang mga senior.”
One senior who had gone up to the new location in Talay indicated that the gravel road there is so rough that the likelihood of stumbling is high.
Fortunately, a City Councilor heard our cries, and replied: “Copy on this. I’ll make some efforts for signage to be placed.”
Another comment: “How hard is it to put up directional signs?”
From a very angry senior, “Signage or none, it is a big mistake…a DISSERVICE for Senior Citizens.”
As we are where we are right now, to help those who do need to go to OSCA, here are instructions on how to get to the new location:
The sign to the Talay Evacuation Centre is highly visible from the J. Romero Road, commonly referred to as the Valencia highway. Heading to Valencia, after passing Junob Elementary School, this large sign is on your right.
Turn right onto the road, follow it where it’ll take you on a left turn. Then keep going. (Do not take the next right turn because you’ll miss the new location.)
Instead, keep going to the cream-coloured building that’s in your line of sight. You’ll now be driving on gravel. Continue on until you reach a large open court building on your left (a gym, I suspect). You are at the right place when you see a large blue-gray gate which opens into the open court. Enter the gate, and OSCA will be on your far right.
It takes five minutes to get the “blue book” (which is now white), and significantly smaller. You’ll need your senior citizen’s card before they give you a book. The staff are very helpful and are not busy, unlike when they were situated in the old location.
It’s no wonder as very few know where to find the new location.
We only found the place because we asked people on the road for directions.
There is talk that the Centre for the Blind will also be moved to Talay.
This will be a death knell for the Blind Center. The inconvenience of getting there will discourage their clients, especially the seniors.
Diana BANOGON-Bugeya (She/Her)
