Council okays additional P1,000 aid to PWDs

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council passed a resolution adding P1,000 to the last tranche of financial assistance for registered persons with disabilities in the city.

Councilor Lea Japson who drafted the resolution said the account on the cash aid for PWDs got savings, which can be used to add to the last tranche of aid the PWDs are getting this month.

The city government gives P5,000 assistance to qualified PWDs annually. As of now, P4,000 has been released to them.

Japson, who chairs the council’s committee on social services, said the last tranche, which will now be P2,000, will be released this month.

In her resolution, Japson attached the same request of Department of Social Welfare Services chief Dr. Ester Concha.

Concha said DSWS got P13.5 million savings since the approved budget for the financial assistance amounting to P60 million was not depleted.

She said they targeted 12,000 qualified PWDs to receive the assistance, but only 10,168 received their share.

“The undersigned would like to request as additional P1,000 increase of Persons with Disability Financial Assistance for December 2015, considering there is a savings in the amount of P13.5 million,” Concha said in her November 19 letter to Japson.

With the approved resolution, Concha said she will ask budget officer Marietta Gumia and treasurer Diwa Cuevas if supplemental budget is needed for the release of the additional amount considering it is the office’s savings.

If it does not need any supplemental budget, Concha said the amount will be released before Christmas together with the last tranche of aid.

Meanwhile, Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. wants the city’s executive department to increase the allocation for senior citizens assistance from P720 million to P807 million next year.

He said at least 7,129 senior citizens qualified to avail the P12,000 annual aid are in the waiting list since the city only appropriated for 60,000 senior citizens.

Gabuya referred his resolution to the executive department’s Local Finance Committee and to the council’s committee on budget and finance since the 2016 Annual Budget hearing has concluded.  (FREEMAN)