Senior citizens, beware.
Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete cautioned the public against persons who offer to help process claims of senior citizens for financial assistance from the city government for a fee of P500.
Poblete, in a public advisory issued yesterday, said the city government “has not authorized anybody to process the assistance for senior citizens other than the office of the Department of Social Welfare and Services in coordination with the City Treasurer’s Office and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.”
No service fee is being asked or collected by City Hall, it said.
Poblete, in an interview, said reports reached Phillip Zafra, Mayor Michael Rama’s chief of staff, that unscrupulous individuals have been approaching senior citizens to offer their help in claiming the cash gifts of P4,000 for a fee.
But since no one has complained so far, the office can’t investigate the matter.
“So we just issued an advisory to preempt any similar activity from happening,” Poblete told Cebu Daily News.
Poblete said senior citizens who wanted to file a complaint may call (032) 254-8637 and look for Jerry Ocampo, who will assist them.
The Cebu City government gives out P4,000 as financial aid to registered senior citizens, who number at least 50,000.
The first P2,000 was released early this month to a batch of 5,071 senior citizens for a total of P10.1 million.
The senior citizens came from barangays Parian, San Antonio, San Roque, Sta. Cruz, Sto. Niñom Lusaran, Mabini, Malubog, San Jose, Tagba-o, Zapatera, Pahina San Nicolas, Carreta, Inayawan, Adlaon, Agsungot, Sinsin, Sudlon I, Taptap, Buot Taup, Paril, Pit-os and Pung-ol Sibugay.
The cash gifts are distributed in the barangays following a DSWS schedule.
The cash is given directly and personally to the beneficiary.
No letter of authorization or Special Power of Attorney is being entertained.
“If the situation calls for it, our staff members will hand-over the assistance at the homes of the beneficiaries and in some cases at the hospitals (where the senior citizen is confined),” Poblete said in his advisory.
This is in line with Mayor Michael Rama’s thrust of bringing “City Hall to your doorstep.”
Mayor Rama earlier said he would increase the aid by P1,000 when the second tranche of financial aid is released in December. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief Of Reporters