Clever senior citizens

The Rama family and I are saddened with the recent turn of events involving our relatives, first cousins and best friends Joel Rama del Prado and Annabelle Rama, who are locked in a lawsuit filed by del Prado for Annabelle’s issuing a check that allegedly bounced. I would have wanted them to settle the issue between themselves and refrain from issuing derogatory statements against each other because we were not brought up that way.

This is a family matter and I am enjoining other family members to refrain from joining in the controversy. This issue involves two reasonable personalities and I am confident that they will resolve amicably this issue between them.

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Many people are lucky to be residents of Cebu City, senior citizens in particular who receive a P10,000 annual financial assistance from the city government. I think the windfall is welcomed by the elderly and their families as a big help in buying medicine.

I was disturbed to learn recently that many senior citizens are taking undue advantage of the benefit, especially those who are not really city residents. I think the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) should screen beneficiaries and require them to first establish a a period of three to five years residency before they qualify for the benefit.

I heard reports of senior citizens from the towns moving to the city just to avail of the financial aid. This could drain the limited resources of the Cebu city government. I hope the City Council sets additional requirements for senior citizens to qualify for the allotment.

Councilor Gerry Carillo has proposed an ordinance to provide cash assistance to single parents. I am against this scheme especially now that the city needs to muster its financial assets in order to begin implementing important projects and should forgo giving additional dole-outs because it is not the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

I think the City Council should be prudent in its legislation. What’s happening in the financial aid program for senior citizens is going to happen to single parents if the ordinance is passed – the city would be flooded with single parents moving here from the towns.

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The discovery of Councilor Dave Tumulak that the area surrounding the Buhisan Dam which is inalienable land has been titled to private owners should be taken seriously.

I think it’s about time the Cebu city government looks into this irregularity. The situation can be likened to the problem of rivers and creeks being illegally occupied by private individuals within the three-meter easement, an area which is supposed to be beyond the commerce of man.

Recently Mayor Mike Rama started enforcing the three-meter easement of river banks so that runoff water can find its way to the sea.

With the recent heavy rains, we realize all the more clearly the danger of people living along the spillway of the Buhisan Dam.

How some individuals acquired titles to land along the river which is a protected area and thus inalienable is a mystery.