Senior citizens can claim cash assistance from city even after 10 days

CEBU, Philippines - Senior citizens in Cebu City who fail to get the P2,000 birthday gift from the city government within the 10-day distribution period may still avail of the amount.

Philipp Zafra, executive assistant of Mayor Michael Rama, said the mayor will not allow the cash assistance to be forfeited simply because the senior citizens fail to claim the same within 10 days.

“Dili mosugot ana si ma-yor uy,” Zafra said in reaction to the announcement of Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) head Catherine Yso that the cash assistance will be forfeited if the same is not claimed within 10 days.

“Binuang man kanang paagiha kay kon makalarga ko pananglit sa Mindanao kay mobisita ko sa akong anak, unya madugay ko’g balik dili na diay nila nako ihatag?’ a senior citizen told The FREEMAN.

Distribution of the P2,000 cash assistance continue today in Barangay Guadalupe wherein 2,922 senior citizens are expected to claim the gift. Personnel of the city treasurer’s office will work the whole day today to serve all the senior citizens in Guadalupe, one of the biggest barangays in the city.

On Wednesday, the distribution will be in Basak-San Nicolas and Ermita. The next day, City Hall personnel will distribute the financial assistance in Barangay Sambag 1, Pahina Central and Apas to 2,122 senior citizens.

Senior citizens in Barangay Lahug will receive cash assistance on September 9 while those living in Barangays Lorega-San Miguel, Basak-Pardo and Pulangbato will receive theirs on September 10.

The 1,995 senior citizens in Barangays Pasil, Sawang Calero, Suba and T. Padilla will get their share on September 12 while those living in Barangays Mambaling and Poblacion Pardo will receive theirs the day after.

Each senior citizen is supposed to get P4,000 but Rama earlier decided to distribute the cash assistance twice. The first P2,000 gets distributed this month and the other P2,000 on December as a Christmas gift. Rama is also planning to add P1,000 to the cash assistance.

On a separate development, Zafra said the mayor also rejected the proposal of DSWS that the burial assistance from the city amounting to P5,000 for each resident will be forfeited if relatives of the deceased fail to process the required documents within two months. (FREEMAN)