MANILA, Philippines - The Parañaque City government announced the other day that the city’s 50,000 senior citizens will get cash benefits starting next year with the implementation of the city’s Senior Cash Transfer Program.
According to Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, the benefit is in recognition of the contributions of senior citizens to Parañaque’s development.
Olivarez said the benefits are stated under City Ordinance 13-14, which also mandates the establishment of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) Cares Card System for registered and qualified senior citizens.
Under the ordinance, a senior citizen will get a P500 cash gift on his or her birthday and another P500 as year-end cash gift under the Cash Transfer Program.
The ordinance also mandates a minimum of P2,000 in death benefits to the survivors of deceased senior citizens.
“We have delivered on another promise to our constituents, particularly to our elderly citizens, who deserve all the care and appreciation we can give in return for their long years of service to our communities and families,†Olivarez said.
“We will make sure that our citizens enjoy these benefits by providing the means and resources for these programs,†Olivarez added.
The ordinance also mandates the allocation of P27 million for the first year of the implementation of the cash transfer and death benefits for the senior residents. Thereafter, an amount of P29.5 million will be automatically appropriated for the succeeding years, with a provision of a 20 percent increase if deemed necessary by the implementing offices.
Olivarez said the ordinance takes effect this January. Councilors Vincent Kenneth Favis and Joan Villafuerte-Densing authored the ordinance that was approved by the City Council last Oct. 24.