Hospicio de San Jose is the oldest Catholic welfare institution in the Philippines serving people of all ages from infancy to the elderly. Hospicio is a small island almost four hectares surrounded by the Pasig River, accessible thru Ayala Bridge, located right in the center of Manila. It was officially established in 1810 when it opened its doors to the service of the “poor” in Manila. Throughout the proceeding years, Hospicio has been through a lot of survival crises. However, it was able to expand its service to the mentally ill in 1853. The Daughters of Charity were given the administration of Hospicio in 1865, which they hold to this day.
In the late 1800’s, Hospicio developed a “turning cradle” to help mothers, who wanted to remain incognito, have a safe place to “abandon” their babies. This innovative idea to protect infants from being abandoned on the street brought a safe haven for hundreds of children who were eventually placed out for adoption. By early 1980’s the Daughters of Charity realized that giving the mothers an opportunity to discuss alternative solutions to their problem was more productive, thus, the “turning cradle” was replaced with the “Tahan Center” which provided a service to mothers and families in crisis.
Hospicio de San Jose is licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Its residential care services for children and youth, persons with special needs, older persons and people in crisis situations were accredited in March 2007 by the DSWD Standards Bureau. The Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) has given Hospicio a donee status, and allows the institution to receive tax-exempt donations.
To know more about Hospicio de San Jose, visit their website.
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