Seniors to get P4K cash aid on Monday

Cebu City’s senior citizens will each receive P4,000 as the first installment of their annual cash aid in various receiving centers in the city next Monday and Tuesday.

Mayor Michael Rama said he ordered the City Treasurers Office (CTO) yesterday to release this as first quarter assistance to the city’s 60,000 registered senior citizens.

“The amount will be P4,000. I sent a communication to (acting City Treasurer) Emma Villarete to have the release of the senior citizen’s assistance prioritized,” he said during a press conference.

Villarete earlier said the release would depend on the availability of funds.

The city government appropriated P600 million in the 2013 budget for senior citizen aid at P10,000 each.

The balance of P6,000 will be released at P2,000 each in June, September and December.

Rama’s order runs counter to a City Council proposal to distribute the aid on a monthly basis. .

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young warned the mayor against violating the approved budget ordinance that mandates the distribution of seniors cash aid every six months.

Rama said he was prepared to take the risk and wants the distribution on Monday to start with a Mass at the Sto. Rosario Parish.

The mayor also brushed aside the council’s move to limit fuel subsidies only to city government-owned vehicles.

“Who will stop me?,” Rama asked as he insisted on providing fuel to fire trucks, police vehicles and barangay vehicles.

Rama said if the city doesn’t provide fuel subsidy to the Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP) and the police, even bigger fires will break out in the city and maintaining peace and order will be more difficult.

Councilors under the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc upheld a provision in the budget ordinance that allows only city government-owned vehicles to draw fuel from the City Hall depot at the South Road Properties (SRP).

Councilor Margot Osmena, the council’s budget committee chairperson, said the fuel consumption ceiling could have been avoided had Rama not insisted on buying new vehicles for the city’s barangays.

“ We keep on buying vehicles and we will provide the gasoline for them. There is a certain limit that we have to establish. Priority has to be given to city owned vehicles,” Osmeña said.