Distribution of aid for seniors in Cebu City now at 80 percent
Officers from the Department of Social Welfare Services prepare to be deployed for the cash aid distribution for senior citizens in Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City. | Immae Lachica
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government’s house to house distribution of the senior citizen financial assistance has reached 80 percent.
The city government has targeted the distribution to be finished in 10 days from May 16, 2020 to May 26, 2020 for all 80,000 senior citizens in the city.
Read more: Senior citizen cash aid distribution to start on May 16
“Atong gihimo nga house-to-house ang distribution sa financial assistance sa atong mga senior citizens samtang padayon ang atong pakig-batok sa COVID-19,” said Mayor Edgardo Labella.
(We will distribute the financial assistance house to house for our senior citizens to keep them safe while we continue to battle the pandemic.)
Lawyer Rey Gealon, Mayor Edgardo Labella’s spokesperson, said the city had utilized much of its human resources to help in the distribution because a house-to-house distribution would entail more time and more people to cover all 80 barangays.
In spite of the success of the house to house distribution in most barangays, the city government drew the ire of residents in Barangay Guadalupe after the senior citizen’s were asked to go to the sports complex.
In a previous statement, Guadalupe chief, Michael Gacasan, said the Mayor’s Information and Liasions Office (MILO) led the distribution, and they found that some of the senior citizens could not be located due to vague or unspecific addresses.
The barangays already sent buses to fetch and return the senior citizens to and from their homes.
Gealon said that the lack of specific addresses made it almost impossible to track the senior citizens.
With this, the city government sent 30 personnel from the Department of General Services (DGS) to assist the house to house distribution in Guadalupe.
DGS head, June Maratas, said there were 700 senior citizens that could not be found because of unspecific addresses.
Gealon has encouraged the senior citizens, who have not received their financial assistance, to contact the city and the Office of the Senior Citizen’s Affairs Office so that they could give their exact location. /dbs
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