Senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD) were rescued from a care home in Bukidnon, which had dirty rooms and bathrooms and conditions that posed potential health risks.

On October 11, The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the local government and police, retrieved 17 seniors and PWDs from the Bukidnon Multi-Sectoral Services Foundation Incorporated in Maramag.

The DSWD said that the care facility was operating without a certificate of registration and a license to operate.

The government agency also discovered that residents were living in dire and unsafe conditions, prompting an immediate rescue operation to ensure their safety.

According to the DSWD, the care facility had multiple violations, including dirty bathrooms and rooms, non-compliance with occupational safety standards and overall conditions that posed health risks to its vulnerable residents.

It also noted the lacked a proper case management system, including insufficient documentation of the residents, and had a shortage of qualified caregivers or professional caretakers.

The seniors and PWDs were temporarily transferred to facilities managed by the DSWD and the local government, where they can receive better care and attention.

Irene Dosol-Auxillo, information officer of the DSWD Protective Services Division, said in an interview that the smell inside the care facility was so "unbearable" they had to "cover" their noses.

"The smell of human feces and urine was everywhere," she said, adding that the toilets and beds share a dirty space in some rooms.

This was despite residents being charged P5,000 to P6,000 per month for accommodation and services.

Auxilio said that the care facility had already been warned twice by the DSWD to cease operations but it continued to accept residents.

Meanwhile, some Facebook users confirmed the care facility's unsanitary conditions in the comments section.

"We were witnesses too, the OJT students here. Finally!" a Facebook user wrote, as translated into English.

"We were supposed to do a charity event here, but then one of the previous OJTs messaged me about their plight. I even interviewed one of the founders. There were many bells ringing that time," another wrote.

"Good thing somebody intervened regarding our plan. I don't know who made the report sa inyong office, but salamat Ginoo na rescue na ni sila. Salamat sa inyong opisina," the Facebook user added.

"Living hell condition of the aged is over," another Pinoy wrote.

"Finally, sir, they were rescued. I even ate and took a bath there with an elderly person using rainwater during my OJT days...They were really pitiful," a different online user commented.

Reports said that the DSWD has given the care facility 30 days to comply with the law by securing proper registration and a license to operate.