Cebu City Mike Rama clarified yesterday that he’s not encouraging all senior citizens to donate their cash assistance to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) project.
Rather, he’s asking well-to-do senior citizens who don’t collect their share or need the cash aid, to donate the amount for the reconstruction of the CCMC.
Rama complained that yesterday’s story in page 3 of Cebu Daily News (“City’s elderly bring home 3K) didn’t make this clear.
He said he would contribute his own P3,000 cash assistance to the hospital project, but isn’t pressing others.
“Ako ra’ng senior citizen benefit (My senior citizen cash aid benefit) will be donated to CCMC,” Rama said.
Special account
The mayor said senior citizens who don’t plan to claim their cash assistance can donate it to the CCMC project rather than letting someone else benefit from it.
Rama said he would ask acting Cebu City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas to make a special account for these donations.
“Aron dili mawagtang ang kwarta, mu-claim sila, pagkahuman I will tell Ma’am Diwa to create a special account for donation. (To ensure that the money is intact, senior citizens may claim, then I will tell Ma’am Diwa to create a special account for donation),” the mayor said.
Among those who claimed their cash assistance at the Plaza Sugbo yesterday was Herenia Tocaldo, a 62-year-old resident of barangay Tabunan.
She was unable to join others in claiming the cash aid last Wednesday. “Pangkonsumo ra gyud ning kwartaha (This money is for my consumption),” she said.
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