Financial assistance for Cebu City senior citizens, PWDs to be released in April

Mass distribution following social distancing protocol expected to be a challenge

Senior citizens in Barangay Inayawan Cebu City receive their financial assistance in this September 2019 file photo.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be getting their two-months worth of financial assistance in the first two weeks of April 2020.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said in a press conference on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, that the financial assistance will be for the months of March and April.

The city tried to distribute it in March so it could help provide for the senior citizens and PWDs during the general community quarantine, but the Commission on Audit (COA) advised against it, saying it cannot distribute financial assistance in advance.

The city has decided to distribute two-months worth of financial assistance on the first week of April for the senior citizen, giving them ample time to prepare for the distribution.

Labella said that mass distribution following social distancing protocol will be the biggest challenge, especially that senior citizens are the most vulnerable to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“We will create a mechanism that will ensure social distancing when we distribute the financial assistance especially for those senior citizens who are already sick, on a wheelchair, and bedridden,” said the mayor.

The same goes for PWDs who will be getting their financial assistance on the second week of April.

It is not clear yet what mechanism the city will use to distribute the financial assistance and how many days it will take to do so.

The City Legal Office, the Association of Barangay Councils, some city councilors, and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs will lead the distribution.

Each senior citizen and PWD will get P2,000 financial assistance each.  /bmjo