A delicate issue

Several months ago, I received a phone call from Kagawad George Chang of Barangay Kasambagan, this city. It was the day when the cash assistance from the city coffers was to be distributed to old folks, now called senior citizens. The kagawad asked me and my lady to come because our envelopes were ready. All that we had to do was to go to the covered court beside our barangay hall and according to the kagawad, the process would be completed in few minutes.

When we walked in, smiling faces of old friends met us. Our conversations with them revealed how grateful they were for the generosity of the city. Almost all of them compared our situation to those residing in nearby cities which could only afford about half of what Cebu City was giving out that day. I could not hide my smile when inside the envelope that I received from the cashier was four crisp one-thousand peso bills.

Few days ago, the Commission on Elections held a special registration for the barangay elections this coming October. Logic told me that the registration should be opened only to those who just attained the qualifying voting age and therefore would be voting, for the first time. But, TV footages showed me that I was wrong. There were many senior citizens who joined the ranks of would-be registrants. They fought for every space to be able to register. In fact, it was their unexpected number that added disorder to the poorly administered registration process.

I wondered aloud why old men and women appeared to be first time voters. Were they motivated by an inexplicable fire of civic consciousness too compelling to propel them to jostle in the inhospitable crowd if only to be able participate in the choice of our barangay leaders? What else could I assume considering the seeming eagerness of people to exercise their right of suffrage.

Before I could rest comfortably on my supposition, I heard local radio commentators express indignation that politicians literally towed voters to the COMELEC office to register. It was not an honest-to-goodness and conscientious move to elect their leaders that prompted them to register, after all. In fact, many of them had not cast their ballots for years. So, the new willingness to participate in the electoral process was, if the commentators were to be believed, for probable monetary consideration.

These two events, the day I got my financial assistance from the city and the sudden rush of old voters to register anew as electors, provide good reasons to revisit the Cebu City ordinance granting cash gifts to senior citizens. We need to recall the philosophy of this local law.

Those who are now in the twilight years were, years ago, robust contributors to the city. As business leaders, they spurred various economic enterprises. The professionals among them provided Cebu City and us, its residents, with impeccable service. For instance, they were teachers honing the minds of our young and engineers building our homes. Even the ordinary office clerks, who were modest earners, gave their best to serve us. Whatever they did helped keep our city grow. More importantly they paid their taxes.

In acknowledgment of such efforts, the city wants to honor them, us. Plaques are good but they are not realistic. Our leaders then thought of giving cash because at anytime, a few thousand pesos can be handy.

Here are few questions, among many I heard. It may sound selfish, but if granting financial assistance is a form of recognition of our contribution to the city, should not the beneficiaries be only those who worked their minds and bodies to help Cebu? Those who gave taxes here in their lifetime? Is it not illogical to use the city coffers to give cash gifts to those people who, in their whole lives, from their birth to old age, worked and stayed outside of the city? What happens if all senior citizens from nearby provinces, come to stay with their relatives hereabout, then register as voters here? Will such influx, as shown initially in the last special registration days, not unduly impair the financial capacity to deliver basic services? Let us wait for our officials to formulate a stand on this delicate issue.