Isko Moreno, Starbucks ink pact to provide jobs for senior citizens in Manila

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso has partnered with Starbucks to support the city’s ongoing “Work for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)” program, citing improved workplace atmosphere and better customer relations in establishments that employ elderly workers.

Speaking during the signing of a memorandum of agreement on Monday afternoon, February 2, the Mayor said similar initiatives have long been practiced in other parts of Asia, underscoring that the Philippines is equally capable of integrating senior citizens into the workforce in a meaningful way.

“If Japan can do it, if Hong Kong can do it, then the Philippines can do it as well,” Domagoso said, adding that the program reflects how society and government should give back to senior citizens who have spent years contributing to the community.

Domagoso said Starbucks’ participation strengthens the program, noting that human resource managers consistently report a healthier workplace environment when senior citizens are part of the team.

The Mayor noted that the presence of senior citizens in service-oriented workplaces positively affects employees’ attitudes and day-to-day interactions.

“They change the mood at the employee level,” Domagoso said. “When you talk to senior citizens, they share stories, positive stories, and that energy rubs off on the staff.”

“It’s a common statement by HR managers,” he said. “They bring better vibes. Their outlook is positive.”

Under the agreement, qualified senior citizens will be deployed in select Starbucks branches in Manila.

Domagoso said the coffee chain currently operates 34 stores across the city, which may serve as potential sites for the program’s implementation.

The partnership supports the city government’s continuing effort to provide employment opportunities for marginalized sectors, allowing senior citizens to remain productive members of society while helping ease financial pressures in their later years.

Under the agreement, Rustan Coffee Corporation, the authorized licensee of Starbucks Coffee in the Philippines, will support the city’s senior citizen employment initiative by engaging qualified Manila senior citizens through a legitimate job contractor, with applicants screened and recommended through the city’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

The MOA states that the arrangement will run for one year from execution, while emphasizing that any engagement of senior citizens is temporary and subject to the company’s operational discretion, including the stores that will participate, the number of senior citizens to be engaged, and the nature of the engagement.

Under the agreement’s deployment conditions, selected senior citizens may be assigned to participating stores for not more than four hours per day, in shifts between 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon or 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., for a maximum of five days a week. The MOA also provides that the duration of engagement of every selected senior citizen shall not exceed six months.

The MOA details the city’s responsibilities through its offices, including applicant intake and profiling by PESO, and the conduct of physical, medical, and laboratory examinations by Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center. The Manila Health Department will facilitate the issuance of the Mayor’s (Occupational) Permit for qualified applicants, while the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs will handle information dissemination.

Also present during the signing from Starbucks were Rustan Coffee Corporation President Emmanuel Tantoco Lopez; Vice President for Partner Resources Isabel Cacho; Learning and Recruitment Manager Marie Valido; Recruitment Assistant Manager Christine Apostol; District Manager Joy Tulabut; and Senior Marketing Manager Jamie Silva.