Cash cards for senior citizens in Cebu City ready by December 2020

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella holds a press conference for the senior citizens cash cards on Friday, October 2, 2020. CDN Digital photo | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senior citizens here will no longer need to worry about how to get their financial assistance from the government. 

This as the Cebu City government has partnered with the Landbank of the Philippines to create a cash card that will be used to distribute the P12,000 yearly financial assistance for senior citizens. 

Mayor Edgardo Labella said the cash card system reduces the exposure of the vulnerable senior citizens to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the pandemic. 

The availability of the cash cards will also allow for easier distribution for the City Treasurer’s Office. Aside from that, it will no longer expose disbursers to a dangerous situation where they may be victims of robbery or criminal acts. 

“Ang kining cash card para gyod ni sa convenience sa atong mga senior citizens. Wala nay linya-linya,” said Labella. 

(This cash card is really for the convenience of the senior citizens. No more lining up.) 

In order to get their cash cards, the senior citizens must update their data profile at the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA). 

This can be done online through the website cebucity.gov.ph, specifically Online Services and Update Beneficiary records section. 

The website would require a photo and the identification card of the senior citizen. 

For senior citizens living in the mountain barangays, they may visit their barangay focal persons assigned by the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS). 

These focal persons will assist in the updating of the data. 

The distribution of the cash cards will be house to house so that senior citizens will no longer have to go out for the distribution. 

This will also allow the OSCA to verify if the senior citizen is really living in the address stated in their data profile. 

The Landbank waived a total of P12.4 million worth of fees so the cash cards can be provided free of charge to senior citizens. 

Vivian Aznar, representing the Landbank in Cebu, said that they will print the cards in Manila in batches and will be able to deliver these to the city government for distribution as early as late November. 

Once a cash card has been activated, the financial assistance will be automatically deposited into the account, depending on the distribution schedule for each tranche. 

Cebu City usually distributes the assistance every three to four months. 

In December, senior citizens can expect that their cash card will already contain 4 months worth of financial assistance for the months of September to December 2020.

Read: Cash aid distribution to elderly may take 20 days – Cebu City gov’t

/bmjo