Rama plans to ‘simplify’ requirements for seniors cash aid

By: Delta Dyrecka Letigio - 2 years ago

Senior citizens in Barangay Mabolo troop to their basketball court to claim their P2,000 financial assistance from the Cebu City government. in this 2016 photo. | CDN File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senior citizens in Cebu City will soon be qualified to received cash aid from the city government irregardless of their registration status with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Mayor Michal Rama said he wanted to introduce this change to the city’s requirements to make sure that all of the city’s senior citizens receive the P1, 000 monthly assistance or a total of P12, 000 per year from City Hall.

In a statement that was posted on the official Facebook page of the Public Information Office (PIO), Rama was quoted saying that he plans to “simplify” the requirements for the city’s cash assistance to senior citizens.

“I will be calling to amend the requirements for the senior citizen’s financial assistance and no longer require a voters certification for you to avail of the cash aid. As long as you are a resident here in the city, then you are entitled to avail of the financial assistance,” the mayor said.

Under existing guidelines set by the Office for the Senior Citizen’s Affairs (OSCA), beneficiaries are required to present a photocopy of their senior citizen’s ID, an original copy of their voter’s registration record, and a barangay certification. Also, they must have registered as a Cebu City voter since 2013.

Rama said the need for a Comelec registration “is a tactic used to compel them [seniors] to vote for them (politicians)” and the required number of years of residency in the city is “too long.”

“As long as you are a resident of the city then that is an already valid requirement,” the mayor said.

Meanwhile, Rama also vowed to transform a portion of the Sugbo Chinese Heritage Museum or the old Gotiaoco building that is located across the City Hall into a senior citizens’ center.

He wanted services to be made available there for all visiting senior citizens there.

In the coming months, Rama said, he wanted to further expand the city’s assistance to senior citizens to already include the distribution of hearing aids, wheelchairs, and medicines.

Rama said he already instructed members of the local finance committee to identify funds that may be used for the purpose.

“Let us continue to help them because I am a senior and I was not born if it wasn’t for my parents who are also seniors,” he added.