Cebu City seniors assured of cash aid

CEBU, Philippines- The Cebu City Government assured that the release of the financial assistance for senior citizens amounting to P12,000 for this year will be done taking into account the best interest of over 60,000 seniors in the city.

This after lawyer Reymelio Delute sent a demand letter to Mayor Michael Rama for the monthly release of the financial assistance to qualified senior citizens.

“Please consider this letter as a formal demand to pay or release the financial assistance to qualified Senior Citizens in accordance with the provision of Ordinance No. 247 or the Annual Budget for Calendar year 2015 approved on December 30, 2014,” Delute said in his letter dated March 19.

This is the second time that Delute has sent a demand letter to Rama for the disbursement of financial aid to senior citizens in the city.

Rama said that there is no need to remind the city government regarding the matter.

“Bisag baynte pa na iyang demand letter, you cannot force the treasurer. He (Delute) should know that. Mag sige ta og pahinumdom nga dili na siya also something nga mo-remind mo. Bisa’g dili sila mo-remind namo, if we already feel that we are ready to give, we will give,” he said.

Delute said that under Section 5 of the budget ordinance, the P720-million appropriation for the P12,000 cash assistance to the senior citizens should be released monthly which is P1,000 to each senior citizen per month.

Last January, the city government distributed P3,000 to senior citizens, broken down to the P2,000 balance of the city from the assistance due last year and the P1,000 as the first tranche of the assistance for this year.

“Hence, to avoid the risk of being charged for dereliction of duty, please release the said financial assistance to qualified senior citizens in accordance with the aforementioned Ordinance not later than ten days from receipt of this letter,” Delute said in the letter which was received by the mayor’s office on March 20.

On behalf of Rama, the city attorney sent a reply to Delute on March 25.

“We thank you for taking a keen interest on this matter as a Senior Citizen residing in Cebu City,” the letter read.

“While we understand that you may have an urgent need to receive on a monthly basis the financial assistance which the Cebu City Government was generous enough to grant its Senior Citizens as a privilege, we are constrained to inform you, however, that the provision you are referring to which supposedly provides for the monthly release of the financial assistance for qualified Senior Citizens of Cebu City was vetoed by the Cebu City Mayor Hon. Michael Rama on 09 January 2015. As such, said provision is inoperative,” it added.

Rama said that the city government will release the aid to senior citizens in “due time.”

“We’ll do it nga it will not be a burden sa treasurer, and we also have to address on the issue of fiscal management,” he said.

“The capacity, the management of fiscal, all belongs to the treasurer. Mag-unsa man ‘nang ordinance if the money is not available? Mag-unsa man ‘nang ordinance if the people are not ready? It’s a matter of practicability and looking at it with some fiscal soundness,” he added. — /BRP (FREEMAN)