Incentives for seniors may be released June

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said the cash incentives for the close to 40,000 senior citizens in Cebu City may be released next month after the City Legal Office gave the go signal to include in the program senior citizens aged 80 and above who are residents of the city even if they are not registered voters.

“Gitrabaho na man kana karon sa akong mga staff ug duna na man gani’y petsa kon kanus-a kini ipanghatag,” said Rama who called up THE FREEMAN regarding the latest development of the city’s granting of incentives to the elderly persons.

Guillermo “Dodong” Casinillo who heads the city’s Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs welcomed the latest development, although he said that even if the proposed measure has been approved already by the City Legal Office it still needs the nod of the City Council.

Some senior citizens in the city are starting to believe that the granting of cash incentives to them was just a political tactic of city officials because last year it was released days before the May 10, 2010 elections, but now the release of the cash incentives is being delayed.

Rama said he also gave instructions that the distribution of the cash incentives to senior citizens be made directly to the barangays.

“Gusto ko nga maminus-minus ang kahasol sa mga senior citizens kay sa moari pa sila sa City Hall aron pagkobra.”

Rama said he wants that senior citizens who are not registered voters but who have been residents here for long time to still be included in the city’s financial assistance of P4,000 a year.

The mayor said there are some senior citizens who, because of old age, were not able to apply for the city’s financial assistance because they have long stopped voting.

Casinillo said that when he visited the mountain barangays of the city he found out that there are elderly persons who failed to vote for the past elections because of health problems.

At present there are some 38,000 registered senior citizens in Cebu City and it is expected that the statistics will exceed 40,000 with the inclusion of those 80 years old and above who are really residents of the city but are not registered voters.

Casinillo explained that those aged 60 to 79 years old must still be a registered voter before they can apply for the financial assistance program.

When former mayor and now Cebu City South district Rep. Tomas Osmeña started giving financial assistance to the senior citizens during his term it was clearly provided in the guidelines that only those who are registered voters of Cebu City and who voted during the 2007 elections can avail of the benefits.

If the beneficiaries of the city’s financial assistance for senior citizens in Cebu City reaches 40,000 the city will need P160 million to fund the program.  (FREEMAN)