Newsbriefs

SENIORS CASH AID IN SEPTEMBER

CEBU City’s senior citizens will have to wait a little longer for their P3,000 cash gift from the city government.

Rolando Llagono, head of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs, said they will only start to process the payroll for the cash assistance on Mayor Michael Rama’s order.

“The distribution of assistance was affected by the elections and the movement of department heads, who will be assigned to barangays,” he said.

The city’s seniors were supposed to receive P10,000 in cash aid this year.

Last March 25, Rama authorized the release of the first P4,000 in assistance leaving behind a P6,000 balance.

If the cash aid is released during the third and fourth quarters, the seniors will each receive P3,000 per quarter.

About 56,082 seniors claimed their P4,000 assistance last March while a special payroll was made for 1,406 other claimants who weren’t included in the master list of beneficiaries due to delays in their applications.

Rama earlier said he wanted to wait for another city treasurer to assume office before he orders the processing of the payroll for the next batch of senior citizen’s assistance.

The six months appointment of acting city treasurer Emma Villarete by the Bureau of Local Government Finance will expire on July 17.

Llagono said the mayor’s decision to follow a quarterly release of senior citizens assistance is better than the monthly release previously proposed by the City Council.

Llagono said the preparation and processing of payroll by his office and the city treasurer’s office takes time to complete, along with the liquidation after each distribution.

“But if they come up with another system, that remains to be seen. We still have to study that further,” he said.   /CHIEF OF REPORTERS DORIS C. BONGCAC

RAMA TO PURSUE LEAGUE OF CITIES PRESIDENCY

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama remains interested in the presidency of the League of Cities of the Philippines which holds its elections on July 19.

But Rama said he won’t pursue it if President Benigno Aquino III decides to endorse a candidate for the national election just like what he did in the league’s 2010 election when he endorsed Oscar Rodriguez of San Fernando City.

“It’s okay, I am a very practical man. The most important this is that I am there willing to serve,” said Rama.

Rama earlier informed Vice President Jejomar Binay and former president and now Manila mayor Joseph Estrada of his league plans. Both officials supported Rama’s candidacy.

Just recently, Rama said, he also called someone “close” to the president to relay to Aquino his interest in the league presidency.

“That willingness is because I have my track record in handling the league,” said Rama, who was elected president of the Philippine Councilors League and the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines.

Rama said he will wait for the president’s response on his expression of interest for the league’s presidency.

Should Aquino decide not to interfere in the league elections, Rama said, he would go on and campaign among mayors allied with Lakas, NPC and PDP Laban.    / Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac