Deceased senior citizen: Kin can still claim Cebu City aid but …

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Relatives of deceased senior citizens can still claim the stipend allotted by the Cebu City government, provided they can prove their relationship to the beneficiary.

Reynaldo Abesia, the administrative head of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), confirmed in the ‘Sungkod ni Lola ug Lola’ teleradyo program that the kin, or immediate family members such as children, spouses, and siblings, of the deceased senior citizen could still claim the allowance.

In a separate interview with CDN Digital on Thursday, June 20, Abesia said that as long as the deceased beneficiary was still on the payroll for the current quarter, the claimant could still claim the beneficiary’s allotted cash assistance.

“Kato ra gyud siya kutob sa payroll kay sa sunod na ana dili nana siya maapil sa payroll kay deceased naman na, i-deactivate nana siya, di na siya maapil,” Abesia said.

(It will only be until this payroll because in the next one the deceased won’t be included in the payroll because he or she is already deceased. He or she will be deactivated. He or she will not be included.)

Once the quarter ends, Abesia said they would be tagged as “deceased” in the office’s payroll and no cash assistance could be claimed thereafter.

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Lawyer Homer Cabaral, OSCA head, also added that once they would be tagged as “Deceased” in the records, their names would be deactivated in the city’s payroll making them ineligible to be part of the next quarter’s payroll.

“Og wala na siya sa payroll, then deceased na siya, sa ato pa, natangtang na siya sa payroll. Pero ug naa pa iyang ngan, unya namatay siya, pwede pa na,” Cabaral said.

(And when he or she is out of the payroll, then he or she is considered deceased, so this means, that he is already removed from the payroll. But if his or her name is still in the payroll, then that will be still be okay [the relatives can still claim the benefits.])

Abesia further said that to claim the allowance, the representative must present the beneficiary’s death certificate, a Xerox copy of the late senior citizen’s OSCA card, and the claimant’s original ID.

A certificate confirming the authenticity of the relationship must also be submitted. Whether it be a marriage contract, birth certificate, or any other official document proving their relation to the late beneficiary.

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Abesia said that the opportunity to allow relatives of the deceased beneficiaries to claim the cash assistance started in the previous quarter December 2023 after amendments to City Ordinance 2529 authored by Councilor Jun Alcover were made.

“Since last year, December. Naa man to’y changes ug amendments tungod sa mga hangyo sa mga nitabang during their time of wake,” Abesia said.

(Since last year, December. There are changes and amendments because of the appeal of those helping during the time of their wake.)

The opportunity also covers the late senior citizen’s guardian if they have no immediate relatives left to take care of them.

The guardians can acquire their certifications in their respective barangays proving that they were the guardian of the beneficiary.

Abesia said that claims could be made once the distribution would resume at the City Hall building.

“Makadawat gihapon sila pero ari na after sa barangay (distribution). Inig resume na diri sa City Hall building, diha pa pwede sila maka-claim,” Abesia said.

(They can still receive the cash aid but it will only be after the barangay (distribution). When the distribution will resume in city hall building, that will be the time when they can claim.)

Cabaral would also like to remind the beneficiaries to claim their respective cash assistance on or before the deadline to avoid it being forfeited.

“Deadline gyud na ang 8 days. Once mahuman ta og 8 days mga June 27, inig 28 dili na. Forfeited na kay i-uli naman na ang kwarta sa general funds,” Cabaral said.

(The deadline will be 8 days. Once the 8 days will be done this June 27, on the 28th they cannot claim it anymore. It will be forfeited because the money will be returned to the general funds.)

Moreover, the OSCA announced they would begin visiting the 80 barangays from June 14 to June 27.

They might also take photos of the beneficiaries just before they receive the aid. Abesia added that these photos would be used to update the status of the registered senior citizens.

Furthermore, Abesia said that once the distributions in barangays would be completed and the distribution at City Hall would resume, relatives would be able to claim the allowances of their late family members.

Meanwhile, the office also plans to lower the age requirement for partial centenarian aid from 80 to 70 years old.

If the proposed lowering of the age requirement comes to fruition, senior citizens aged 70 will receive P10,000, while those aged 80 will receive P20,000.

This initiative aims to allow elders to maximize their allowance while they are still able.

According to OSCA head Homer Cabaral, not all senior citizens reach 80, and waiting until they turn 100 is impractical as they may not fully enjoy the benefits anymore at such an advanced age./ with reports from Pia Piquero