IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELDERLY FEEDING PROGRAM IN SURABAYA (Study in Rungkut Kidul, Rungkut, Surabaya)

DiA: Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 2021 December Vol. 19 No. 2, e-ISSN: 2615-7268 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELDERLY FEEDING PROGRAM IN SURABAYA (Study in Rungkut Kidul, Rungkut, Surabaya) Eno Putri Larasati Public Administration Department Faculty of Social and Political Science UPN Veteran Jawa Timur Diana Hertati Public Administration Department Faculty of Social and Political Science UPN Veteran Jawa Timur ABSTRACT Surabaya is the city with the most populous population in East Java. With such a large number, population problems are unavoidable. The increasing number of the elderly is a subject that the government is currently paying special attention to. To ensure the wellbeing of the elderly, the government, together with the Social Service, took steps through the establishment of a feeding program for the destitute and abandoned elderly. This study aims to determine the implementation of the feeding program for the destitute and abandoned elderly in Rungkut Kidul. The type of research used is qualitative research. The results showed that the implementation of the elderly feeding program was in accordance with government regulations and was given to elderly beneficiaries. This study concludes that the implementation of the program is running well but not yet optimal. Keywords: Policy Implementation, Feeding Program, Rungkut Kidul A. INTRODUCTION Surabaya is the city with the most populous population in East Java, which has a population of 3,095,026 people (Dispendukcapil, 2019). Therefore, the government continues to strive so that the welfare of its people is guaranteed. This population problem has a significant impact on the government's ability to formulate policies that are responsive to the demands of the people in order to ensure survival and increase the quality of human resources. One of the problems that is now getting special attention is the number of elderly, which is increasing every year. According to data produced by the East Java Province's Central Statistics Agency in 2017, the number of elderly increased by 6,912 people, or 8.23 percent, over the previous year. Then it rose to 8.53 percent in 2018, and then to 8.84 percent in 2019. The following table shows the annual increase in the number of elderly in Surabaya: 237 DiA: Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 2021 December Vol. 19 No. 2, e-ISSN: 2615-7268 Tabel 1.1 Surabaya Elderly Population Data No. Year Elderly 1. 2017 236.541 2. 2018 246.069 3. 2019 267.821 Source: Badan Pusat Statistik Kota Surabaya, 2019 The number of elderly is growing every year, prompting the government to step up its efforts to ensure that the elders have a better quality of life. Based on the Undang-Undang Nomor 13 Tahun 1998 concerning Elderly Welfare, it is emphasized that the government has an obligation to provide services and social protection for the elderly so that they can enjoy a reasonable standard of living (Jogloabang, 2019). It is not only the responsibility of the state to improve the well-being of the elderly, but it is also the obligation of local governments. Therefore, based on Undang-Undang Nomor 13 Tahun 1998 concerning Elderly Welfare, the government took steps through the implementation of a feeding program for the destitute and abandoned elderly. This program is regulated by the Peraturan Walikota Surabaya Nomor 15 Tahun 2013 concerning Guidelines for Providing Food for the Destitute Elderly and Abandoned Elderly, which was stipulated on January 17, 2013 in Surabaya. The goal of the elderly feeding program is to address one of the elderly population's most fundamental needs: food. The elderly who are eligible for the food program are those who meet the criteria or standards for being recipients of the food program. The elderly criteria are those who are 60 (sixty) years or older, and the pre-elderly who are 45 (forty-five) years or older but not yet 60 (sixty). They must also be listed on a government database registry of poor people in Surabaya. If new elderly are found, the Social Service will undertake field observations and determine the number of quota recipients of the feeding program through the Social Service Task Force in each urban village. In terms of providing food for the elderly, it is entirely handed over to the catering party. Food packaging is also guaranteed to be clean because it is packaged in plastic food containers and meets healthy food standards. This is stated in the Peraturan Walikota Surabaya Nomor 14 Tahun 2020 concerning Amendments to the Peraturan Walikota Surabaya Nomor 60 Tahun 2019 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Food Delivery in Surabaya Article 11 paragraph (1), which reads "Packaging food using box packaging that meets health standards" and "Contains elements of rice, vegetables and side dishes (meat/vegetable), fruit and mineral water". The feeding program is accomplished in 31 (thirty one) sub-districts and 154 (one hundred and fifty-four) urban villages in Surabaya. Rungkut is one of the areas that implements the food program and consists of 6 villages; Kalirungkut, Kedung Baruk, Medokan Ayu, Penjaringan Sari, Rungkut Kidul, and Wonorejo. The following is the food quota available for the elderly in each urban village in Rungkut, Surabaya. 238 DiA: Jurnal Administrasi Publik, 2021 December Vol. 19 No. 2, e-ISSN: 2615-7268 Tabel 1.2 Data on elderly beneficiaries of the feeding program, Rungkut, Surabaya Number of Elderly No. Urban Villages Beneficiaries 1. Kalirungkut 81 2. Kedung Baruk 142 3. Medokan Ayu 71 4. Penjaringan Sari 70 5. Rungkut Kidul 60 6. Wonorejo 96 Source: Dinas Sosial Kota Surabaya, Maret 2021 According to the information provided above, Rungkut Kidul has the smallest number of beneficiaries, with only 60 persons. Despite the fact that Rungkut Kidul has had a meal program for the elderly for many years, there is no guarantee that the implementation process would go smoothly and without complications. The issues that arose during the implementation of the feeding program for the elderly in Rungkut Kidul are less accurate targets. Mrs. Lailatul, a temporary dispatcher who had replaced the sick dispatcher, claimed this. Several elderly people have met the requirements to be feeding program recipients. In fact, the elderly, aged 60 and above, who are categorized as destitute, do not have a job or source of income, and do not even have family or close relatives who support their daily needs, have not received food assistance from the government. Furthermore, the elderly have made an application to the office, gathered the requisite paperwork, and waited nearly 4 months for a response, but have yet to get one. There are even elderly who become unwell and die because of their illness. This is clearly in violation of the Peraturan Walikota Surabaya Nomor 15 Tahun 2013, which specifies that the elderly aged 60 and above who meet the requirements for being extremely poor or abandoned are the target of the feeding program. Furthermore, Article (...truncated)