Senior citizens want non-city elderly out

THE proposed ordinance that seeks to establish guidelines in the giving of the annual P12,000 financial assistance to senior citizens in Cebu City was questioned by the senior citizens’ body.

While they are not against the entire ordinance, the Office of the Senior Citizen’s Affairs (Osca) said there are provisions in the proposed measure that do not help in their plan to reduce out-of-town elderly who have become beneficiaries of the program.

In a public hearing called by the City Council last Jan. 20, Osca head Domingo Chavez said they want the provision stating those who failed to claim their financial assistance for three consecutive times will be deleted from the payroll list changed.

The proposed ordinance is authored by Councilors Lea Japson, Eugenio Gabuya Jr. and Alvin Dizon.

Chavez told the members of the legislative body that the Senior Citizen’s Council, in a dulyapproved resolution, recommended that senior citizens should be delisted after failing to get their cash aid for only two consecutive times.

“In this case, the number of consecutive times of failure to claim the financial assistance is short- ened, a disadvantage on the part of the out-of-town recipients,” he said.

Another provision that Osca wants changed, Chavez said, is the one that states their office, along with the City Accounting and the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), should give oneweek notice to the barangay prior to the release of the assistance. They wanted it shortened to two to three days.

Distribution date

“In doing so, out-oftown recipients will have no clue or hint as to the date of distribution,” he said.

Aside from that, Chavez wants the grace period shortened for senior citizens who fail to get their financial assistance on the scheduled releasing date from 10 days, as provided under the proposed measure, to only five days.

Limited time

He said this will give those who are living outside the city limited time to claim their cash assistance.

Osca also has apprehensions on the provision that sets the schedule of the giving of the financial assistance to every last week of the end of the quarter or the last week of March, June, September and December.

Chavez said they don’t want it specified.

He said it should only state that assistance will be given every quarter of the year so out-of-town recipients will have no idea what week will the cash aid be distributed.

Lastly, Chavez asked the council that for those who are bedridden, no authorization should be allowed.

In the past, the City Treasurer’s Office would go to the house of the bedridden elderly to give them their financial assistance.

Councilor Sisinio Andales asked Chavez how many are the out-of-town senior citizens who have become recipients of the City’s program.

Chavez said they can’t ascertain yet. He said, though, that when the program started in 2008, there were only 25,000 beneficiaries.

In 2014, he said it ballooned to 60,000. In six years, he said there was increase of 35,000.

“It can’t be denied that there are really some senior citizens who came here just to get financial assistance,” he said.

Andales told Osca, though, not to be “too stingy” on the senior citizen’s cash aid.

Based on the records of the DSWS, there are 67,600 senior citizens in the city.