CEBU, Philippines - Thousands of senior citizens who hail from places outside Cebu City registered themselves with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in the city hoping that each of them will also receive P5,000 cash assistance every year.
This is after Mayor Michael Rama scrapped the previous requirement that before a senior citizen can receive cash assistance from the City Hall, the applicant should be a registered voter of the city. Rama explained that it is unfair for senior citizens who are residents of Cebu City but because of old age or physical condition may no longer be able to vote during elections.
In order to receive the cash assistance, the senior citizen is only required to present proof of residency in the city such as certifications from the barangay captains who will attest that they are actually residing in the barangay.
OSCA officials observed that since the implementation of the new requirement, more than 3,000 senior citizens from different places including Mindanao but have children who are residing in the city applied. City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said they will try to find ways to counter senior citizens who are not city residents but want to be registered.
The City Council approved a P300 million budget for the granting of cash assistance for qualified senior citizens in Cebu City for this year. There are close to 54,000 senior citizens registered by the OSCA in the city. Each senior citizen is entitled to receive P5,000 this year but Rama only gave them the initial P3,000 last Monday. Those who failed to collect their cash assistance in the barangays got it from the City Treasurer’s Office.
Assistant City Treasurer Emma Villarete said she could not give yet the exact figures of beneficiaries who collected their benefits because as of yesterday, the disbursing officers still continued releasing the assistance. Senior citizens whose names could not be found in the master list were ordered to proceed to the Cebu City Library Building in Osmeña Boulevard while the others were entertained at the social hall of the City Legislative Building. —(FREEMAN)