Cebu City seniors' aid out starting September 25

CEBU, Philippines —  Qualified senior citizens in Cebu City can receive the financial assistance for the months of July, August, and September starting September 25.

The announcement was contained in Executive Order No. 144 issued by Mayor Edgardo Labella.

Under the EO, each qualified senior will get P3,000, equivalent to their  financial assistance for the months of July,  August and September.

For those beneficiaries who already have their Lanbank cards, the financial aid will be automatically credited to their accounts.

In view of the pandemic, the distribution of senior citizens’ financial assistance shall be done through house-to-house arrangement.

The recipients are advised to put marks outside their residences indicating their full names and senior citizen identification number.

They  are also required to  follow health protocols like wearing of face mask at all times during the distribution, as well as present his/her original Senior Citizen Identification Card.

Beneficiaries are also asked to sanitize their hands before and after the distribution and use their own ballpen in signing the payroll. No thumbmark is allowed.

“Akong giawhag ang atong mga senior citizens nga maghuwat lang sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka panimalay sa atong mga disbursement officers sanglit di man nato mahuman og usa ka adlaw lang ang distribution,” said Labella in a social media post.

He added that no distribution will be allowed at the Cebu City Hall to avoid crowding.

The city government targets to finish the distribution in all 80 barangays within 10 days.

Some departments and agencies will help the city government achieve this, including the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), City Treasurer’s Office (CTO), and other City Hall departments, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Barangay officials and workers are also likewise called to help implement the EO.

Based on City Ordinance 2453, qualified senior citizens of Cebu City are entitled to financial assistance of P1,000 a month or a total of P12,000 a year. — JMD (FREEMAN)