Simpler requirements for senior citizens eyed

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Councilor Jose Daluz III wants to make the cash bonus that Mayor Tomas Osmeña earlier promised the senior citizens more accessible by asking for simpler requirements.

During the recent session of the City Council, Daluz brought up the idea for the senior citizens to easily avail themselves of the cash gift which has an appropriation of P50-million for this year.

The City Council has recently approved a supplemental budget granting P1,000 financial assistance to elders during their birthdays and another P1,000 during Christmas.

According to the “Guidelines and Procedures for the Distribution of Financial Assistance to Senior Citizens of Cebu City” crafted by the Senior Citizens Council, a senior citizen has to be registered with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) and must be a resident of the city and must have voted in the May 14, 2007 elections.

But for Daluz, it is no longer necessary for a senior citizen to be a member of OSCA as long as he could present his birth certificate and other valid identification cards.

Council committee on Social Welfare chairman Rodrigo Abellanosa, who is also the chairman of the SCC, said they had to put up a safeguard as to the number of beneficiaries.

Abellanosa said the senior citizen had to be a member of OSCA since it is the agency that processes the payments and keeps the records.

“For the south district alone there are already 60,000 listed and we only have P50 million,” Abellanosa said.

With this, it was decided that the guidelines be referred to the Committee on Laws headed by Councilor Edgardo Labella. However, Labella suggested that the guidelines should be decided by all the members of City Council themselves. The P50-million appropriation is just part of the city’s P250-million surplus in 2008.

During the recent Sinulog celebration, Osmeña announced via teleconference that part of the amount will be given to the senior citizens in form of bonus during their birthdays and during Christmas. — Ferliza C. Contratista/WAB (THE FREEMAN)