Rama allocates P40M to fund aid program

Rama (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has a change of heart and included a P40 million allocation for solo parents in his 2015 budget proposal even after he vetoed an ordinance that would grant them cash assistance.

Rama said he wanted to give the ordinance authored by Councilor Gerardo Carillo a chance, especially now that the legislator is already part of Team Rama.

The mayor earlier declared Carillo their candidate for congressman in the south district against incumbent congressman Rodrigo Abellanosa of the Bando-Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

Carillo said his office is coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS),

barangay officials and Gender and Development (GAD) focal persons to register solo parents so they can avail of the cash assistance.

“I have talked with the mayor and he wanted it (the ordinance) implemented. He wanted to give it a chance and see the effects of its implementation,” he said.

Rama vetoed the solo parents ordinance which the city council passed in June saying that it was “discriminatory.”

The BOPK-dominated council, however, managed to override the mayor’s veto.

Carillo said Rama opted to forgo his plan to file a petition for declaratory relief and stop the ordinance’s implementation and instead decided to give it a P40-million allocation in the 2015 budget proposal.

The allocation, if approved, will fund the P5,000 annual assistance to solo parents and for the release of livelihood assistance.

“But we cannot yet say when the distribution should be scheduled because we are still finalizing the guidelines which we will submit to the mayor and the city council for approval,” said Carillo.

While they are working on the guidelines, Carillo said, he has been going around the city’s 80 barangays to organize solo parents and brief them about the approved ordinance.

He has so far organized solo parents in 18 barangays in the south district.

“I have been primarily tasked by the mayor to implement the ordinance and go to the barangays,” he said.
DSWS also started the registration of solo parents this month, which may extend until next month.

The solo parents ordinance requires single parents to secure a certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that would say that they are earning less than P60,000 per year; certification from Comelec that they have voted for three consecutive elections, certificate of no marriage from National Statistics

Office (NSO) and barangay clearance as proof of residency, among others.

Carillo said that in order to hasten the registration process, they are now trying to simplify some of the requirements.

Instead of requiring a BIR certification, solo parent applicants are now asked to go to his city hall office so they could get assistance in the issuance of an affidavit declaring their income.

DSWS is also tasked to be the one to secure a list of registered voters from Comelec instead of requiring the applicants to be the ones to go there and validate their marital status instead of requiring them to secure a certificate of no marriage from NSO.

“If they lie, then they can be charged with perjury,” said Carillo.

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