Council wants probe into aid anomaly

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council wants alleged irregularities in the distribution of senior citizens’ financial assistance looked into, following a privilege speech delivered by City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover, Jr. during their regular session last week.

Alcover said an octogenarian (80 years old) resident of Brgy. Guadalupe came to his office to complain he was supposed to receive P5,000 under the Cebu City Ordinance 2631, which extends assistance to registered senior citizens.

In the same city ordinance, nonagenarians (90 years old) will receive P15,000 while centenarians (100 years old) will receive P80,000.

“To date…, daghan kaayong mga seniors nga nag-edad og 80 ug 90 nga wa makakuha sa ilang financial assistance,” Alcover said.

He also said Office of the Seniors Citizens Affairs (OSCA) records show that there were a few instances when the financial assistance was marked as “unclaimed.”

Alcover said the among the reasons for this is that the senior citizens did not know of the distribution schedule for the assistance for the octogenarians and the nonagenarians.

He said that in the case of the resident who went to his office, he was provided with the claim stub that his distribution schedule is for the “third batch”, or that it his P5,000 would be released this year, after applying for it on Sept. 4, 2023.

“Tuod man katong buwan sa Marso, nag-follow up…kung kanus-a makuha ang iyang financial assistance, gitug-anan siya sa taga-OSCA, nga iyang pangan ilang gibalhin sa second batch distribution nga ila ng gihimo niadtong Disyembre 2023,” Alcover said.

He said that because the resident was not able to get his entitled financial assistance on along with the others in the “second batch”, his was marked as “unclaimed.”

Alcover said no one from OSCA or someone from the barangay hall informed him of the change, so the resident stuck to what was indicated in his acknowledgment receipt, which was he was to get his during the third batch of distribution.

“So, third batch man sya, so nagpaabot siya…eight months na nga gapaabot siya,” Alcover said.

He also mentioned how the OSCA staff alleged treat the senior citizens who go to their office, how they have elderly follow-up their application from one office to another.

“Supposedly kini intawong mga senior citizens na, kinahanglan gyud ni sila’g mga special nga care, special nga pagtagad. Mao nang ako ning gituyo sa paghimo karon, aron atong warning-ngan sad atonfgmga empleyado nga ang mga senior citizens nga muadto sa ilang opisina, tagdon gyud,” said Alcover.

In the light of what Alcover revealed, the City Council approved his motion for the Senior Citizens Council to conduct an inquiry into the complaint of the Gudalupe resident.

During the discussion prior to the approval of the call for inquiry, it was agreed to also include in the inquiry why the distribution is done by batch when supposedly the cash assistance is given the moment a resident turns 80, 90, or 100.

City Councilor Joy Pesquera also balked at already calling for an inquiry already because the concern is just a case of miscommunication.

She even volunteered to assist the resident in finally claiming his assistance.

“It is good…that it is stated as ‘unclaimed’ because the problem there if it is stated as ‘claimed’, so pasabot naa naay nikobra. Kung unclaimed…ang solution is i-process,” she said.

But since majority of her colleagues agreed to Alcover’s motion, the council voted to have the matter looked into. — /RHM (FREEMAN)