Manila vows to distribute complete pension for seniors by October

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila city government on Friday vowed to distribute the complete monthly pension for the city’s senior residents by October amid delays caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Naipit po ang mga PayMaya cards dahil sa pandemic. Sisikapin po natin ma-kumpleto lahat ito bago ang kaarawan ng ating Alkalde sa Oktubre,” Manila’s Office of Senior Citizen Affairs chief Marjun Isidro said in a statement.

(The [distribution of] PayMaya cards were delayed due to the pandemic. We will ensure the completion of the cards before the Mayor’s birthday in October.)

To recall, Manila has partnered with PayMaya to speed up the distribution of the P500 monthly allowance of the city’s senior citizens through cash cards.

Isidro said thousands of senior citizens in the city are expected to receive their complete monthly pension from January to October.

“We need all the help we can get. We are dealing with almost 170,000 senior citizens, and the backlog (of unissued cash cards) is about 120,000 of the total registered seniors.” Isidro added.

Previously, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno signed an ordinance granting P500 to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents who are residents of Manila. (Jim Mendoza, trainee).

/MUF