Parties court senior citizens, scholars

CEBU, Philippines - With a few more days before the May 9 elections, Cebu City political groups Team Rama and Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan continued to woo voters and even gathered larger groups recently.

Team Rama led by reelectionist Mayor Michael Rama on Wednesday assembled at least 5,000 senior citizens at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino while the BOPK led by former mayor Tomas Osmeña courted thousands of Cebu City scholars at the Asian College of Technology yesterday.

At the Team Rama gathering, City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas announced the distribution of the third tranche of the cash aid to senior citizens set on May 11.

"We will be giving P1,000 for the month of May to senior citizens," Cuevas announced. The amount is part of the P12,000 annual financial aid to each of the 67,300 registered senior citizens in the city. The elderly have so far received P4,000 for this year.

Cuevas said they hope to release P1,000 every month to the seniors since they can now fast track the payroll after the P15 days given to the elderly to get their aid from the city has been shortened to 10 days.

The distribution of the cash aid got nothing to do with the elections, according to Cuevas.

 "Gusto unta nila (senior citizens) before election ihatag. But di mosugot si mayor kay mura daw siya namalit og vote," she said.

Registered persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the city will also get the third tranche of their financial assistance, which is P500, on May 13, Cuevas further announced. The PWDs have so far each received P2,000.

Cuevas assured that whoever will sit as mayor after the elections, the cash aid will be distributed, saying it is supported by an ordinance.

Meanwhile, facing thousands of scholars in the city, majority of the BOPK slate particularly assured the ACT scholars that they will get their diploma and transcript of records should the complete BOPK slate wins in the elections.

Osmeña also signed an agreement with the parents and scholars to increase the scholarship grants from P10,000 to P50,000; to pay the scholars' tuition fees that were left unpaid for three years; to release the scholars' allowances in the previous years; and to construct South Road Properties Phase 2, proceeds of which will go to the scholarship program.

The city currently owes ACT 135 million representing the tuition of the scholars, including the P26 million December billing for the second semester of the current school year.

Also yesterday, scholars and their parents were given a brown envelope containing P4,000 "cash gift" for senior high school students and P20,000 financial grant to cover their tuition and miscellaneous fees for one school year.

Asked for comment, reelectionist Councilor Margarita Osmeña said she does not know of any cash gift or financial grant.

"I have no idea of what you're talking about. When we got there, we just talked with the parents and the scholars and then it was followed by the covenant signing," she said. "I know for sure that it did not come from BOPK," she added. — (FREEMAN)