Capitol’s turn soon to give aid to elderly
A census will be made of senior citizens in Cebu province before the Capitol decides on how much to grant them as an annual allowance, an official said yesterday.
The financial aid, promised in October last year, may be released before the year ends, said Provincial Board Member Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, chairman of the PB committee on senior citizens.
He said he is looking forward to the release of the aid in 2015 to elder residents aged 60 and up in Cebu’s towns and component cities.
At present, Cebu city grants the biggest senior citizens aid at P12,000 a year in four or more installments. Mandaue City gives P3,000 in two tranches while Lapu-Lapu this year allots P1,500 per senior citizen.
“We still need to know how many senior citizens there are in the province to know how much we will allot for this,” said Alcoseba during the Kapistorya news forum at the Capitol yesterday.
The Cebu Provincial Senior Citizens Council (CPSCC) was created in 2013.
The council will be asking mayors to submit a complete list of their elderly residents by the end of March, said Alcoseba.
Beneficiaries have to be registered in their barangays.
How much will be given to each qualified beneficiary still has to be discussed by the PB for the passage of a supplmental budget.
He said the Cebu provincial government will match whatever amount a town or city gives its senior citizens.
“For example, if Talisay gives P500, we will also give P500,” Alcoseba explained.
Alcoseba announced the cash aid plan during the Senior Citizens’ Day celebration at the Capitol last Oct. 21, 2014 when one of the main issues raised was the lack of cash allowance for seniors in Cebu province.
Under the “Halad sa Gugma Alang ni Lolo ug Lola” program with the provincial social welfare office last year, seniors in Cebu province were given powdered milk, noodles, and canned sardines.
At least 90 sacks of rice were also set aside for each town last year.
For 2015, the Capitol has allocated P5 million for operations of the CPSCC.
Half of the amount was set aside for people with disabilities (PWD) while the other half is for senior citizens.
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