OSCA asked to explain ‘denial’ of application of three seniors

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu City Council yesterday asked for explanation from the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs after three senior citizens complained for allegedly turning down their application for financial assistance.

During yesterday’s regular session, the City Council gave OSCA 15 days after receipt of the communi-cation from Felix Peras, Hermes Recla and Crispina Inguito, to explain the matter.

In the letter addressed to Councilor Alvin Dizon, the three elders alleged that despite the fact that they turned 60 last year and they were issued with Senior Citizens Identifi-cation Card by OSCA, they were denied of the privilege enjoyed by their fellow senior citizens.

“However, when we filed our financial assistance application, we were advised to wait for the time that they would push through receiving an application,” the letter read.

Reportedly, OSCA temporarily stopped accepting applicants last January due to the plan of implementing new system. They resumed last May but was stopped again last June 13.

“We waited for quite sometime until we heard information that DSWS (Department of Social Welfare and Services) is now receiving such application. But it came to a surprise to us, that when we visited their office our application was turn due to big bulk of application by many and was stopped,” they said.

In the letter, they asked: “When is the right time for us to apply? Isn’t fair enough for us that we were the once blamed why we miss the deadline set by their office?”

Inguito told The FREEMAN over the phone that when she filed her application on December of 2013, she saw a notice at the OSCA office that accepting for application was temporarily stopped.

She said that when they came back last June 16, OSCA and DSWS told them that they were late in processing their papers.

“Wala man ko kahibaw nga pagka Biyernes (June 13) diay ang deadline. Wala man mi nila ingna. Mao to nga niadto ko Lunes (June 16) na nya mao dayon to giingnan ko nga humana sila panawat,” Inguito also said.

The FREEMAN  tried to contact OSCA Chief Rolando Llaguno but he was not available for comment.

But in an earlier report, Llaguno had said that acceptance of applications was stopped last January.

Based on the guidelines, requirements for application for cash assistance are birth certificate, a photocopy of the Senior Citizens ID, and a voter’s certification to prove that the applicant was registered in Cebu City before 2010 elections.

OSCA admitted in an earlier report that the annual budget for the cash assistance might not be enough for all the senior citizens in the city.

Llaguno said there are at least 4,000 additional registered seniors in the Commission on Elections. At present, there are about 62,000 seniors in the city.

The annual budget for the cash assistance for this year is P720 million which is good for the P60,000 elders, he said.

Meanwhile, City Mayor Michael Rama said that as long as each elder is qualified, the city government will not limit the number of beneficiaries.   (FREEMAN)