Cash aid out in time for seniors’ holiday gig

The Cebu City government will host a Christmas party for senior citizens on Dec. 18 at the Cebu Coliseum titled as “Pasalamat ni Lolo ug Lola.”

Rolando Llagono, head of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca), said he is hopeful that the city will be able to release the remaining P4,000 balance of this year’s cash assistance to seniors simultaneous with the event. “But it will all depend on the availability of funds,” he said.

City Hall will have to appropriate P240 million to cover the P4,000-balance of this year’s P10,000 cash assistance for 60,000 registered senior citizens.

Llagono appeared before the City Council in an executive session to answer queries on the city’s policy in the release of the seniors’ cash assistance.

The council’s invitation to the executive session was addressed to Belinda Navasquez, the secretary to the mayor, who skipped the executive session.

Navasquez instead sent a letter dated Oct. 20 detailing the guidelines and procedures in the release of the seniors’ cash aid.

Navasquez said Osca will have to coordinate with the City Treasurer’s Office, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the city accounting office in sending out notices to the barangays a week before the scheduled release of financial assistance.

Distributions are made in the barangays. Her letter stated that in a meeting with the different senior citizens’ chapters held on Sept 24, it was agreed that only Mayor Michael Rama can set the date for the distribution of financial assistance. It was also agreed that City Hall will only distribute digital copies of the master list of seniors and not printouts to those who will request for a copy.

During the executive session, Councilor Eugenio Gabuya belied reports accusing the council of opposing the release of seniors assistance.

“(The release of the balance of) seniors’ incentives as we have been informed is a priority like the City Hall staff’s incentives,” Councilor Margot Osmeña told Llagono. Llagono told the council that she didn’t hear of reports that the council is blocking the seniors’ cash assistance. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac