Senior citizens get half of annual incentives

CEBU, Philippines - A total of 5,071 senior citizens from 23 barangays of Cebu City already received half of their P4,000-yearly cash incentives from the City as of yesterday. The distribution of cash for the other 35,000 beneficiaries will continue next week.

Mayor Michael Rama decided that instead of giving the incentives in full, only P2,000 will be released to each senior citizen this month while the remaining P2,000 would be given to them as Christmas gift in December. Rama is even planning to add another P1,000-incentive to each senior citizen. If this pushes through, each senior citizen in the city will receive an additional P3,000 before the year ends.

“The distribution of the cash incentives in our barangay is more convenient than before because we can save in terms of transportation and food in going to City Hall,” Aurora Magno of barangay Lusaran said in Cebuano. 

Those who availed of the cash incentive during the first week of distribution are the senior citizens of barangays Parian, San Antonio, San Roque, Sta. Cruz, Sto. Niño, Mabini, Malubog, San Jose, Tagba-o, Zapatera, Pahina San Nicolas, Carreta, Inayawan, Adlaon, Agsungot, Sinsin, Sudlon 1, Taptap, Buot Taup, Paril, Pit-os and Pung-ol-Sibugay.

City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete said that after the city revised the procedures, more beneficiaries were able to qualify including those who did not vote in the 2007 elections but are residents of the city.

The city spent P10,142,000 for the 5,071 beneficiaries.

The number of qualified beneficiaries for this year reached almost 40,000 because Rama ordered the inclusion of senior citizens aged 80 years old and above even if they are not registered voters of the city, if proven that they are really residents here.

Rama explained that there are several senior citizens who, because of old age, were not able to apply for the city’s financial assistance because they have long stopped participating in election activities. (FREEMAN)