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Time is not kind to the elderly—it steals their strength as their steps wither down, and their memories slowly fade away. They have grown to be forgetful, but they are also being forgotten by the people they once held close to their hearts. The Philippines is a place where age is an honor to be respected, and family is held close; however, the sobering reality behind the tradition is that many of the country’s elderly are being abandoned, deprived of the warmth brought by family love as they spend the last years of their lives in places far from home, but somewhere in Talisay City, Cebu, there is a home built by compassion.
The Missionaries of the Poor – House of the Lord for the Elderly is rooted in a life of charity, building families and communities among the poor and disadvantaged. It was established in Cebu in 2004, following the Arrival of the Brothers of the Poor, who were invited by the late Cardinal Ricardo Vidal.
“We started the home in 2006 and began taking care of the children as well as the elderly. As we went along, the mission grew through the blessing of friends and benefactors, until we established a home here in Talisay in the year 2013,” Fr. Alphonse Jesu Amalraj, MOP, head of the Missionaries of the Poor in Cebu, said in an interview with Nature’s Spring Foundation, Inc. (NSFI). “When this home was built, we moved our elderly from Sawang Calero because they were living in a bahay kubo—a very simple building that was uncomfortable. And it was through the many friends who contributed to building this home that we were able to come here,” he said.
The once-small space was filled with life, as the sound of music and chatter traveled down the hallways. The elderly residents, some bedridden and others roaming around for something to do, would go out of their way to greet and wave at strangers who passed by, offering the same kindness they had received from the staff of the Missionaries of the Poor. The people who work alongside the elderly have expressed that their service has always been from the heart, as exemplified by one of the caregivers, Henry Amamampang. “Wala ko nag base nga maka gain ko ug daghan kawarta ang maka inspire lang gud nako is to help the people who need your help (I did not base it on how much money I can gain, the only thing that inspires me is to help the people who need your help),” he said. The elderly residents of the home carry the weight of a life they once lived, many of their stories full of hardship, survival, and strife, but within the walls of the home for the elderly, they are handled with gentle hands and patience.
“The people who live here come from different walks of life, and each person has their own story to tell,” said Fr. Jesu. “They come from a completely rejected environment, left to die. So when they come here, they look for positive vibes—happy spirits.” Brother John, one of the Religious Brothers of the Missionaries of the Poor, also added, “When they come here, that’s the time they can be clothed, get fed, and given shelter. That gives them that hope that they are still living.”
The Philippines has a rapidly growing aging population, expected to rise from 7 million to 14 million by 2050, according to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Caring for the elderly is not easy, nor is it cheap. With their strength and health in decline, medicine and medical attention are essential; however, the 2018 Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Health in the Philippines (LSHAP) revealed that more than half of the elderly Filipinos have difficulty making ends meet. When Fr. Jesu was asked about the difficulty in maintaining an elderly home, he replied, “It is a challenging job because of the financial, emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs of the homes.” The increase in the ageing population and the difficulty in gathering finances present a challenge for elderly homes in the country. The Missionaries of the Poor – House of the Lord for the Elderly could reduce costs by growing their produce, raising livestock, and utilizing solar panels. However, they still require support to mobilize their mission effectively.
Nature’s Spring Foundation, Inc. partnered with the Missionaries of the Poor and other elderly homes as part of its flagship program, “Adopt-An-Elderly Home,” which collaborates with center-based social welfare and development agencies that provide care and shelter to elderly residents in need. NSFI’s support helps ease the operational burden of partner institutions by providing regular donations of drinking water, medicines, hygiene kits, and food packs. As of 2024, NSFI has adopted a total of 14 elderly homes nationwide. This program reflects NSFI’s mission to empower and uplift lives, enabling communities to thrive, especially among the most vulnerable members of society. Fr. Jesu extended his gratitude towards the benefactors contributing to the mission, including NSFI, “It was made very clear to me that the foundation wanted to reach out to the elderly, and that is very beautiful because many people don’t like to see that,” he continued. “They want to see tangible and evident growth. But here, you wouldn’t see it. The elderly remain elderly, and the only growth that you would see is that after some time, they will be no more. That is the reality.”
As long as there are people on the streets—homeless, hungry, and alone—the mission will never end. The future of the Missionaries of the Poor relies on the kindness of people willing to help others thrive and continue to do so for a long time. “They see this home as full of life, full of hope. And they see what they should do, how they should be,” Fr. Jesu expressed. “That there’s a home that gives hope to people who can be kind, generous, loving, with what they can do to make people better—not only here but in their setting, in their own families.” The Home for the Elderly is not simply a shelter to feed and to clothe them, but also to make them feel human with healing and rediscovered dignity. They are abandoned but not deprived of love, as expressed by the people from the Missionaries of the Poor; they are strangers, but that does not make them any less than family. The shelter becomes a home, and even until the end, hope and compassion come through the darkest of times.
Time may not be kind to the elderly—but we can be.
We can be the beacon of light for the lost, the least, and the last.
You can donate or volunteer at the Missionaries of the Poor – House of the Lord for the Elderly in Talisay City, Cebu. Visit the Missionaries of the Poor Facebook Page or their website at https://missionariesofthepoor.org/ or email mopcebu@missionariesofthepoor.org.
