Support for seniors to donate aid for CCMC sinking?

CEBU, Philippines - Owing to various reactions it elicited from the public, the manifesto mandating the seniors to donate their P2,000 cash aid for the reconstruction of the Cebu City Medical Center may be suspended.

Former Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs head Rolando Llaguno said they need more support to the move before they can strongly pursue it.

Their office earlier proposed that each of the seniors “hopefully” donates P2,000 from the total amount of their cash aid for last year. The city last year gave P12,000 each for the senior citizens.

“It might be momentarily held or suspended… kinahanglan man gyud ta og popular support,” Llaguno said.

New OSCA head Domingo Chavez said it would be difficult to continue the move because there are seniors who do not like the proposal.

“There is an adverse reaction from the ground. Unya how will you continue it kung ang mga people, the senior citizens, do not like it?” Chavez said.

Llaguno also said there is no official decision yet on the cancellation of the said manifesto.

 “Wala pa man gyud na ma-officially decided nga i-cancel pero atong tan-awn lang unsa’y resulta kay there will be regular quarterly meetings (of the cluster presidents of the seniors),” Llaguno said.

Llaguno revealed that during their quarterly meeting last year, around 90 percent of the cluster presidents agreed on the move but at present, only a few remain supportive of the proposal.

“We expect(ed) nga suportahan to nila and then I don’t know ang uban mura ba’g ni-lie low,” Llaguno said.

Based on the recent report, of the 80 barangays in Cebu City, majority of the senior citizens from only five barangays have signed and passed the ma-nifesto consenting to donate part of their cash aid for the reconstruction of the CCMC.

Llaguno said these five barangays are Duljo Fatima, San Jose, Guadalupe, Adlaon and Sapangdaku.

Duljo-Fatima has 1,253 registered senior citizens; San Jose, 281; Guadalupe, 4,112; Adlaon, 283 and Sapangdaku, 351.

Based on the “Manifesto of Support for the Construction of the New Cebu City Medical Center,” of the total P720 million financial assistance for the 60,000 seniors, P100 million will hopefully be donated to CCMC.   (FREEMAN)