Aid for delayed seniors claimants tomorrow

SENIOR citizens of Cebu City who were unable to claim their P4,000 cash assistance before the Holy Week break can still do so tomorrow.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said about two percent of the 56,322 qualified seniors have yet to claim their assistance.

Seniors who had problems in their registration records are also scheduled to already claim their assistance on Wednesday under a special payroll prepared by the City Treasurers Office.

“On Monday and Tuesday we will resume the distribution of the remaining senior citizen assistance but that will already be done here at city hall. The distribution will still be handled by assigned department heads,” Poblete said.

Department heads were assigned by Mayor Michael Rama to oversee the March 25 distribution of assistance to the 25,573 senior citizens from the north district.

The distribution of assistance for the 30,759 south district seniors came next.

There are 60,000 registered senior citizens in Cebu City. Rama said he wanted Poblete to now focus on his earlier proposal to already enroll the elderly for an ATM account.

“Lingkuran gyud na with (They should sit down with) Land Bank,” he said.

Rama said the ATM distribution of assistance may not be ready during the second quarter distribution in June, but at least discussions could already start on the plan.

Rama also wanted the council to study his proposal to increase the burial assistance for World War II veterans from P25,000 to P50,000. “There are only a few war veterans in the city today,” he said. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac