Home 
The Cebu provincial government has launched yet another program named after Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, this time aimed at senior citizens.
Called the Government Working for Elderly Needs (GWEN), the project aims to provide food and medicine discounts and other perks to Cebu province?s elderly residents aged 60 years old and above, said Provincial Social Welfare Officer Marivic Garces.
?We?re doing this so that we can get a proper list of senior citizens,? said Garces as she announced the program?s implementation during an meeting among the province?s barangay captains at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday morning.
The GWEN program is only one of provincial government programs named after the governor.
Last year, the Capitol launched its Expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (E-GWEN) program, which encourages barangays, municipalities and cities to improve in terms of sanitation, greening, preservation of their heritage and culture, and come up with programs that would improve their aesthetics.
Also, the Capitol has its Disposal of Garbage and Waste Enforcement for Nature (D-GWEN) program, launched earlier this year to encourage the establishment of materials recovery facilities and acquisition of recyclable materials for sale to recycling companies.
Also last year, the Capitol distributed multicabs to different barangays under its Government on Wheels for Emergency Needs (GWEN) program.
In yesterday?s barangay assembly, Garces announced that the Capitol?s new GWEN program for the elderly will run until Dec. 31, and will be renewed for the entire year next year.
During this period, the Capitol will require its 45 municipalities and five component cities to come up with a list of senior citizens who may be qualified for the program.
Beneficiaries would be given identification cards with which they could use to avail of discounts and participate in Capitol-initiated medical missions.
The Capitol reminded local government units who have yet to come up with an accounting of Capitol?s Sanduloy sa Kabusog, Sanduloy sa Kahimsug (Saksak) program to finish the task so that the Capitol could use earnings from this program to fund the program for the elderly.
Also yesterday, at a health and wellness summit held at the Capitol Social Hall before the barangay summit at the CICC, Governor Garcia that she would increasethe cash incentive for barangay health workers from P1,200 to P1,500 this December.
She said that since she was first elected governor in 2004, she has made it her administration's priority to provide barangay health workers with group accident insurance coverage from the Government Service Insurance System, as well as cash incentives.
Around 300 barangay health workers attended yesterday's summit, organized by the office of Senator Pia Cayetano. The senator said the event was part of her ?war against fake medicines.?
?This is our way of educating and enhancing the skills of our barangay health workers, who are considered the frontliners in the delivery of basic health services to the community,? said Cayetano in a press release.
