Benigna Yares and her husband Agustin Yares (seated at right), both in their 90s, receive their senior citizen cash aid at the Mabolo Sports Center.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
It may not be much these days, but 68-year old Marietta Arcamo and her 72-year-old husband Rodulfo Arcamo were thankful for the P2,000 cash aid they received from Cebu City Hall yesterday.
“Pasalamat gyud ko. Blessing ni para namo. Pero mao sad lagi, hurot na pud dayon kay pangpalit sa maintenance nga tambal (I’m very thankful. It’s a blessing for us. But this automatically goes to our maintenance medicines),” she told Cebu Daily News.
The couple, who lives in Sitio Maracas, Barangay Lahug, claimed their financial assistance inside the campus of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) since their usual venue at the Lahug Elementary School was used for another event.
Marietta has to take daily medicines for her high blood pressure which costs P8 each.
Her husband spents more than P50 for Neurobion 5000 tablets daily.
Rodulfo hurt his spinal cord after he slipped and hit his back five years ago. He could not walk or even feed himself for a couple of years.
It was only two years ago that he managed to walk with crutches.
“I’m not yet sure where I’ll look for money for Noche Buena. But for now, at least we don’t have to worry about our medicine,” Marietta said in Cebuano.
Since her husband could not work anymore, Marietta works as a cleaner under an agency along Gen. Maxilom Ave. for P3,500 a month.
The P2,000 cash assistance distributed by City Hall in each of the barangays yesterday is the last tranche of the financial assistance for senior citizens in the city.
City Hall gives P12,000 a year as financial assistance to over 50,000 senior citizens in the city.
City Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) chief Lea Japson said those who were unable to claim their financial assistance yesterday can still do so today and tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Plaza Sugbo grounds in City Hall.
If they still fail to do so, they will have to write a letter to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña requesting to claim the money which they can get at the City Treasurer’s Office within 10 days.
“Those requests are usually granted immediately. They just need to write to the mayor,” she said.