Glenn Soco. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Provincial Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco plans to propose an ordinance to the Provincial Board in giving financial assistance to all senior citizens in the province of Cebu.
“Usa na sa atong plano ug akoa pa nang gi-istudyuhan,” Soco said.
(It is one of my plans and I am still studying it.)
Soco, who chairs the committee on budget and appropriations, said that at present, only a few cities and municipalities had been giving financial aid to senior citizens.
Cebu Province is composed of 44 municipalities and seven component cities.
“Kadaghanan man gud diri, ang gihimo kay support lang in terms of medical supplies. Pero ako gyud nang istudyohan nga makahatag ta’g support sa senior citizen ba pero magkinahanglan pana ug research and planning,” he added.
(Most of us here will just give our support in terms of medical supplies. But I am studying that we can give support to the senior citizens, but this still needs research and planning.)
For instance, Soco said, that they had not determined yet if how many senior citizens had been registered in the province, and whether or not, they will include in the financial assistance those senior citizens who are already receiving support from other Local Government Units (LGUs) such as Mandaue City.
He said that currently, most of the senior citizens had only been receiving the social pension from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which was P500 per month or P6,000 annually.
“Ang uban man gud nga senior, dili makadawat sa subsidy kun sila dunay pension. Gamay ra sab gyud kaayo nang P500 per month,” he said.
(Some senior citizens cannot receive the subsidy because they have a pension. However, P500 a month is also very small.)
He said that this would also serve as an investment since these senior citizens would spend the amount for their needs, which in return, would help in the growth of the province’s economy.
Soco said that he had already something in mind of how much financial assistance he planned to propose for the senior citizens. /dbs