A senior citizen receives her cash assistance from the City Government during a distribution in 2022. | Cebu City News and Information
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) is investigating the source of false information that led hundreds of senior citizens to rush for ID replacements ahead of the upcoming financial aid distribution.
They are set to investigate the source of a false report claiming that senior citizens in Cebu City must replace their identification cards to receive financial aid. This misinformation triggered a surge of around 700 seniors visiting the OSCA office this week, causing disruptions.
Rey Abesia, the OSCA administrator, confirmed that the office was forced to suspend its ID replacement process due to the unexpected influx.
The situation became unmanageable when the ID printer malfunctioned due to the high volume of applications.
“Gi-suspend nalang namo ang among ID replacement process tungod sa kadaghan nga ni-apply for replacement. Naguba pa gane ang among ID printer tungod sa kadaghan sa nang-apply,” Abesia said during an interview via Sugboanon Channel.
Abesia disclosed that OSCA head Lawyer Homer Cabaral has called for a formal investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for spreading the fake news.
The misleading information, which circulated online earlier this week, falsely claimed that seniors needed new IDs to claim financial assistance scheduled for distribution from September 7.
READ:
Eligible senior citizens in Cebu City to get cash aid on Sept. 7
Senior citizens with old IDs can claim their cash aid, says OSCA
In response, OSCA issued an advisory on August 20 via Facebook, refuting the claim and reassuring seniors that their current IDs remain valid.
“Giklaro lang namo nga dili gyud na tinood nga gi-require namo ang mga senior citizens nga magpa-ilis sa ilang ID para maka-claim sila sa ilang assistance. Amo gihapon i-honor ang ilang ID basta mabasa pa og dili hanap ang nakabutang,” he clarified.
He emphasized that ID replacements are only necessary if the ID is photocopied, or if the photo and signature need updating.
Abesia also provided details on the upcoming financial aid distribution. He confirmed it will be conducted at the barangay level from September 7 to 10.
Seniors who miss the barangay distribution can claim their aid at the OSCA office starting September 11. /clorenciana
Earlier, OSCA announced that senior citizens eligible for the third quarter financial aid can claim their assistance regardless of the age or condition of their current IDs, as long as the information on them remains legible. /clorenciana