Dad eyes cash incentives for city’s senior citizens

Starting next year, senior citizens in the city would be getting birthday and Christmas cash incentives from the city government if the City Council would approve the proposal of Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa.

In his proposed ordinance, Abellanosa said the cash incentive would be a way to show the senior citizens that the city cares for them and is grateful for their contribution to the city’s development in the past.

“As a sort of gratitude for their support, assistance and contribution to the development of socially and morally upright community during their prime years and until this time, it is deemed wise and appropriate that the government must also take care of their needs and welfare,” Abellanosa said.

If approved, the city will be allocating P10 million to cover the special cash incentives of P2,000 as birthday bonus and Christmas gift to the city’s senior citizens beginning January 2008.

Abellanosa had cited provisions of the Constitution to support his proposal, including Section 4 of Article XV, which says that “the family has the duty to care for its elderly members but the State may also do so through just programs of social security.”

Section 10 of Article 2 also says that as a state policy, “the state shall promote social justice in all phases of development.”

Meanwhile, Section 11, Article XIII of the Constitution provides that “the state shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development, which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to all people at an affordable cost. There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children.”

With these Constitutional provisions, Abellanosa said it is indispensable to give full support to the improvement of the total well-being of the elderly and their full participation in society considering that they are an integral part of society.

The elders are recognized under the law as “potential machinery” in nation building because of their wisdom, skills, expertise, and abilities that are already ripened by time and by their ages, he said.

In fact, Mayor Tomas Osmeña had recognized that the city’s elderly can still contribute to the city’s development and that he is looking into the possibility of signing in an investor at the South Road Properties that would give jobs to the elderly.

Osmeña had said while the elderly may be physically incapable of doing jobs manageable by the young, their minds are still sharp enough to provide workable advises.

Under Abellanosa’s proposed ordinance, senior citizens must be a bonafide holder of the duly issued Cebu City Senior Citizen’s Identification Card and are registered voters in the city. — Joeberth M. Ocao/LPM