Care, Commodity

By Olesa Arellano

Is the Filipino close family ties slowly deteriorating?

In the humble town of Barili, two siblings named Don Pedro and Dona Benigna Cui built a home for the aged in 1924. They named it Hospicio de San Jose de Barili, after the Catholic welfare institution in Isla de Convalecencia.

Hospicio de San Jose de Barili has been around for ages and it has garnered the appreciation of many. Since 1999, it has bagged a total of 7 awards including the Baul Award, Mithi Award Filipino Foundation, Grand Chamber Century Award, Outstanding Cebuano Institution Award, Salamat Po Award, Outstanding Cebuano Award, and the TOCA or Ten Outstanding Cebuano Awards.

According to Executive Assistant Administrator, Dr. Victor Cui, Hospicio was built because the founders noticed that the old people were overlooked and their needs were neglected at the time.

In Hospicio, the elderly enjoy free accommodation and meals as long as they pass the requirements. Majority of their boarders love their new home.

Roger Guittierez, 66, has been in the home for a year and 3 months now and he says that aside from the care, Hospicio also gives attention to the material things that give him joy.  They provide painting materials for him who used to be an award-winning painter in Manila. Given that he doesn’t have a wife and children, Hospicio has become his permanent home.

However, Ely Casul, 77, who has been in the home for 7 years already, says that he prefers to be out than to be in Hospicio. Ely says even though his relatives often have flaring tempers back home, he prefers to be around the people he cherishes. He likes to see his children and grandchildren grow.

To us Filipinos, family is everything. We grew up knowing that our families should be the center of our universe. However, the images of these old people left in the home for the aged made me realize that care has become a commodity nowadays: masseurs, hairstylists, social workers, ward nurses are paid to give care.

This unsettling fact that pinoys who were known to be the most family-oriented and thoughtful human beings are now becoming desensitized gives me the chills.

I hope that we Filipinos will continue to cherish the elders and give them care, the same way as they have given us care back when they were still active.