Not cakes but free checkups for Parañaque City seniors

MANILA, Philippines—Not birthday cakes but something more await senior citizens residing in Parañaque City.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Tuesday announced that starting next year the city’s registered senior citizens could avail themselves of free medical checkups on their birth month. “We have included the appropriations for (the seniors’) additional benefits in our 2015 budget, which we will use to give them free laboratory and medical examinations as our additional birthday gifts,” Olivarez said.

“This is like getting annual executive checkups instead of cakes for your birthday.”

Olivarez was apparently referring to the birthday cakes given to seniors in Makati City, one of the projects of former mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay that are being questioned by critics for alleged overpricing.

In Parañaque, beneficiaries enrolled in the city’s Osca (Office of Senior Citizen Affairs) Cares Program are also entitled to P500 birthday cash gift and another P500 for Christmas, plus free movie passes.