Auditors look into fake aid claimants in Cebu City

Auditors are looking into fake claims made by “ghost senior citizens” in Cebu City.

A review by the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) showed that for almost two years, more than 100 individuals continued to receive the P4,000 annual financial aid for residents 60 years old and older even though the real beneficiaries were actually dead.

“There were some who already passed away but their ID cards were not surrendered. There were others who claimed they were sick but the real beneficiaries were already dead,” said Cebu City OSCA head Guillermo Casanillo.

Casinillo said the city was losing P500,000 a year to fraudulent claims since 2009.

The Commission On Audit (COA) is starting to look into the matter. Auditors suspended the liquidation of cash advances for P23 million in financial assistance for senior citizens last year, due to lack of proper documents.

COA also asked the city government to gather complete details of senior citizens and update their ID cards before they can release the credit notice of the P23 million.

City accountant Marietta Gumia said City Hall has been withholding four payrolls of senior citizens for almost two months due to questions of COA and the recent findings of the OSCA about fake beneficiaries.

“Until we get the updated and complete list, we will not release the four payrolls,” Gumia told Cebu Daily News.

She confirmed that state auditors are looking into the lapses and may suspend the entire financial assistance for the elderly.

This is also the fear of Casanillo.

“Mahunong na hinoon na unya ang financial assitance if ever ma suspend ni,” Casanillo said.

“I dont know how the city government will remedy this.”

Casanillo said that City Hall was set to release unclaimed financial aid to beneficiaries this month, but with the recent findings and questions of COA, the release may be be postponed.

To comply with auditors, the Department of Social Welfare and Services is validating the senior citizen ID cards of an estimated 40,000 registered senior citizens in Cebu City.

They have to find out who in the list are still alive.

Senior citizens have to come to the office to submit their IDs.

Social workers are also visiting mountain barangays in Cebu City to speed up the process.

The new questions may further delay release of Cebu City’s subsidy for the elderly.

Processing of new applications for senior citizens accreditation remains stalled for more than a year because of these unresolved issues.

Gloria Espinosa, 65, of barangay Guba, went to City Hall yesterday to get her ID validated.

She mistakenly thought this would be done at the OSCA office.

Her husband, who just turned 61, accompanied her to avail of financial assistance. To their dismay, the OSCA still cannot process any applications. About the same time last year, the husband had tried to apply.

“We’ll just have to wait because it can’t be done,” he said.

Casanillo said many aspects of the guidelines have to be revised before OSCA can resume processing applications.

“Especially now that COA is looking into the controversies and with the discovery of ghost beneficiaries, we might have to be strict with the guidelines,” he said.
Casanillo said his office is currently processing 100 ID cards for senior citizens.

He said he is proposing a new rule that a senior citizen need to be a resident for five years in Cebu City before qualifying to receive P2,000 assistance on one’s birthday and P2,000 for Christmas bonus

He said some senior citizens hold two or more ID cards to claim more aid.

“Naay senior citizens tarong, naa say badlongon. Makita man gyud na,” he said.

This privilege for senior citizens started in 2009 during the term of then mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Processing of applications for this benefit was temporarily stopped May last year in anticipation of the new administration of Mayor Michael Rama.