More than 140 senior citizens and children across four pilot regions have benefitted from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Project Apo Ko as of August 2026.
The pilot implementation covers the National Capital Region (NCR), Region 4A (Calabarzon), Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), and Region 11 (Davao Region). Project Apo Ko serves 40 senior citizen beneficiaries-designated as ‘Dream Team’ members, residing in four DSWD-managed Centers and Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs), along with 101 children enrolled in five Child Development Centers (CDCs).
Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, who serves as DSWD spokesperson, said two of the four pilot regions have already commenced their scheduled ‘Apo, Lolo, Lola’ interaction sessions.
‘As of August this year, Calabarzon and Zamboanga Peninsula have conducted 2 out of 12 sessions, while the remaining 2 regions (NCR and Davao) are set to start this September,’ Dumlao said.
The DSWD launched Project Apo Ko in February 2025 to preserve Filipino cultural heritage by connecting senior citizens in residential facilities with children aged 3 to 5 in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers.
Through structured ‘Apo, Lolo, Lola’ sessions, elderly participants pass down cultural knowledge, traditions, and life experiences to the youth, fostering community solidarity, mutual empathy, and enhanced social well-being across generations.
In addition to providing productive engagement for senior citizens, the project actively supports early child development. Among the 101 child beneficiaries, 23 are enrolled in Visayan Village CDC (Tagum City), 21 in Bahay Bulilit CDC (Quezon City), 20 in the Fundamental Baptist CDC (Zamboanga City), 18 in Sampaloc 1 CDC and 19 in Sampaloc 2 CDC (Tanay, Rizal).
Prior to rolling out the interaction sessions, the DSWD’s Social Technology Bureau conducted key pre-implementation activities, including capacity-building workshops for Dream Team members and assigned social workers, parent orientations, and baseline assessments to maximize learning outcomes for both age groups.
In July 2026, the STB facilitated 3 capacity-building sessions across GRACES (in partnership with the Quezon City LGU), Haven for the Elderly (with the Tanay, Rizal LGU), and the Home for the Elderly (with the Zamboanga City LGU). KB
The Home for the Aged in Tagum City, Davao del Norte completed its capacity-building activities in August 2026.
The DSWD has allocated a budget of P3.95 million for the pilot implementation, downloaded to the four participating Field Offices (FOs).
All participating centers target the completion of all 12 ‘Apo, Lolo, Lola’ sessions by the end of November this year, which will culminate in a Session Completion Ceremony.