Seniors brave typhoon to claim cash assistance

CEBU, Philippines — The gloomy weather did not stop the registered senior citizens of Cebu City from claiming their P2,000 financial assistance from the city government yesterday.

The amount was the last tranche of their P12,000 annual financial aid from the city government this year. Mayor Edgardo Labella earlier announced that the distribution will be done on December 1, Sunday in the different barangays.

Based on the guidelines for the distribution, the qualified senior citizens who fail to claim on the scheduled date of distribution are given 10 working days to claim the assistance at the City Hall or else it will be forfeited.

In a previous interview, Domingo Chavez, head of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affair (OSCA), said that all beneficiaries are required to present their senior citizen’s identification card issued by the city. Chavez said the beneficiary should be physically present because no special power of attorney or authorization letter will be honored.

There are at least 75, 865 registered senior citizens in the city. The P2,000 aid represent the cash assistance for the months of November and December. The budget was part of the P2.5 billion supplemental budget approved by the Cebu City Council. (FREEMAN)