Over 50T seniors get cash anew

CEBU, Philippines - More than 50,000 senior citizens in Cebu City received the fourth tranche of their cash assistance from the city government yesterday.

City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said 90 percent of about 60,000 senior citizens were able to get their aid.

“Mas daghan ang nakadawat karon during sa first day of distribution compared before,” she said, adding that the distribution was also peaceful.

Cuevas urged senior citizens who have not claimed their assistance to get it on Monday at the Cebu City Social Hall.

“They have until November 7 to claim their cash assistance or else ma-forfeit man na,” she said.

During the third release in August, at least 2,616 senior citizens were not able to get their cash assistance because they were not able to comply with the set deadline, which was September 9.

With this, the city government forfeited P5.2 million budget allocated supposedly for the beneficiaries. Cuevas said the forfeited amount will go back to the city’s coffers.

According to www.osca.

cebucity.gov.ph,  the official website of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs, only Barangay Tinago has completed the distribution as of 5 p.m. yesterday after all registered senior citizens in the said barangay got their share.

Barangay Tinago has 548 registered senior citizens.

The city government has disbursed P113 million for the P2,000 cash assistance for each senior citizen.

Yesterday’s distribution was the fourth tranche of cash assistance, the first being given to them last February, second last May and third last August.

Earlier, Mayor Michael Rama vowed to give P6,000 in non-cash assistance and P6,000 cash assistance to the senior citizens residing in the city.

Cuevas said the senior citizens have, however, collected P7,000 in cash from the city, including yesterday’s distribution.

Rama has yet to get the position of the OSCA, City Administrator Lucelle Mercado and former councilor Joey Daluz III as to whether the non-cash assistance to senior citizens will still push through. — Jean Marvette A. Demecillo, Correspondent/JMD (FREEMAN)