OSCA wants P200M more budget in 2025

CEBU, Philippines — The Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in Cebu City is seeking a P200-million additional budget for 2025 to cover the benefits of at least 5,000 senior citizens who are still in the waiting list.

Lawyer Homer Cabaral, OSCA head, said this is on top of the P1.80 billion budget allocation that was approved for this year’s annual budget.

Currently, Cebu City has a total of 91,000 registered senior citizens receiving P12,000 financial assistance annually, which is being distributed per quarter.

According to Cabaral, they still have a waiting list of 5,000 senior citizens who were not included in this year’s annual budget. He added that they have been revalidating the list of beneficiaries to see to it that they are still residents of Cebu City as well as ensure that those in the list are still alive.

“Nag huwat huwat pa ta kay nangayo pa ta’g budget ana. Kay dako-dako man na’g budget nga kinahanglan, mga P200 million, atong suwayan paghangyo ang konseho nga ma budgetan ni,” said Cabaral.

“Pero di gyud ta kapasalig ana kay maghuwat ra gyud ta kung unsay available nga kwarta,” he added.

Meanwhile, Cabaral has clarified that the distribution of cash assistance for the third quarter will push through on September 7, 2024. He made the clarification following confusions among senior citizens due to “fake news”.

The distribution will be coursed through the barangay and will last for three days. Cash aids that are not claimed during the schedules shall be claimed at the City Hall.

According to Cabaral, there has been misinformation that bearers of old senior’s ID will no longer receive their financial assistance unless they ask for a replacement from the OSCA office.

He clarified that they are only requiring replacements for IDs that were worn out, dilapidated, and no longer readable. Cabaral said that because of this information, their office was flooded with senior citizens in hopes of having their IDs replaced with new ones before the scheduled distribution of cash assistance.

The situation was only placed under control when the OSCA focal person personally went to each of the 80 barangays to correct the wrong information.

“Ug ilang litrato di na maklaro, di man sad na sila dawaton didto sa disbursing officer kay wa may klaro, kay daghan man gud sad mga impostor…mao ng istrikto ta ana,” said Cabaral, citing more factors that needed the necessary ID replacement.

He, however, said that they are no longer facing anomalies such as impostors as often as before. Such circumstances are now only isolated cases and are only “tolerable”.

“Kay revalidate naman tung mga patay. Sauna gud, naay nga patay nga duna pay mokobra then ato lang gyud gipang revalidate,” said Cabaral.

On tolerable cases, Cabaral said they would receive reports on unauthorized withdrawal of the financial assistance for the seniors. According to him, such circumstances stemmed from the trusted point person of a beneficiary who would make the disbursement on their behalf.

The OSCA cannot directly handle these cases since there were no complaints formally filed before them. Cabaral, however, assured that they are strictly monitoring the matter.

“Di man ta ka control kay ang modesignate gud kay ang disbursing officer man, lain nga department… ang amo lang nga reminder lang gyud unta nga di gyud musugot,” he said.

Onwards, Cabral appealed to the senior citizens to leave the announcing and verifying of information to OSCA. — (FREEMAN)