DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Qualified seniors citizens may soon receive annual financial assistance from the local government after the City Council mulled an ordinance for the said matter.
“We want all the senior citizens to receive a financial aid using the funds of the city. This mulled ordinance shall make this initiative permanent,” said Councilor Raplh Abella, the author of the ordinance that was passed on first reading Tuesday.
Abella said it is the duty of the city to give priority to the needs of the underprivileged. However, there is still a need for a study to determine its amount. “We have yet to determine how much but the funds will be taken from either general fund or from property taxes. We will conduct the necessary study and consultation for this proposed legislation,” he said.
Qualified senior citizens must be 60 years old and above, an ID holder from Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), and a registered Commission on Elections voter. “They must be a registered resident of the city because senior citizens in our neighbouring cities may come to Davao City to claim our financial aid,” said Abella.
In case of bedridden citizens, they may still claim the benefits if they have the medical certificate or a barangay certification that will prove his or her residence.
Based on Comelec’s data, there are now 114,490 senior citizens in the city while OSCA’s data reveal that senior citizens in the city are now close to 320,000. “The financial assistance may be claimed every December,” Abella said.
Abella also provided that it is the goal of the city to ensure all senior citizens will be healthier, more active, and be more engaged in the communities, “and one of the ways of achieving this is investing in their health through this ordinance.” (davaotoday.com)
