Cash aid for poor couples marking golden years

Cebu City Hall, like other local governments, sponsor mass weddings for unmarried couples who couldn’t afford church weddings. CDN File Photo

Indigent couples in Cebu City may receive cash assistance from the city government when they celebrate their 50th or 75th years of marriage.

An ordinance authored by Councilor Sisinio Andales provides that underprivileged couples who celebrate their golden or 50th wedding anniversary will get P30,000 from City Hall.

Those who reach their diamond or 75th wedding anniversary will get P50,000.

“Underprivileged couples who reach their golden and/or diamond wedding anniversary cannot renew their marital vows because of financial constraints,” the ordinance stated.

He said the cash aid can help these couples defray their expenses in celebrating their wedding milestones.

Underprivileged married couples are defined by the proposed ordinance as those who married in either civil rites or in their church who receive no pension from the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Those wishing to avail of the cash aid shouldn’t be separated and should have been living together from the day of their marriage.

The proposed ordinance also requires that these couples are residing in Cebu City for the last decade.

The Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) will screen, evaluate, interview applicants and endorse them to the City Council for approval.

Interested applicants will be asked to submit documents including their marriage certificate, barangay certification as proof of their residency, certificate from SSS or GSIS that they have no pension, and a senior citizen ID issued by City Hall’s Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca).

The proposed ordinance is still subject for final deliberation by Cebu City Council.

In a position paper, City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia said the Local Finance Committee (LFC) should be consulted on the proposal.

She raised concern that the proposed cash aid will add to the city’s expenses for cash assistance to local government units (LGUs), nongovernment agencies (NGAs) and other people’s organizations (POs).

As of now, she said the city allocates 27 percent of the city’s annual budget this year for financial assistance and subsidies.

Only 9.35 percent has been allocated for capital outlay for improvement and development.

The city government also gives financial assistance to senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), topnotchers and centenarians, among others.