Following Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival’s plan to distribute financial assistance for senior citizens on a monthly basis instead of quarterly, Councilor Pastor Alcover, Jr. described the proposal as ‘impractical.’
Alcover, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Senior Citizens, said the quarterly payout scheme was adopted out of practicality.
Earlier, Archival announced his plan to shift to monthly distribution so the city government would not be burdened with releasing the full amount at once. He said the change would likely need the council’s approval.
But Alcover said the council’s approval is not necessary because the ordinance already mandates a monthly release. He explained that the quarterly scheme was preferred by them because it is more practical given the volume of beneficiaries.
‘Tungod kay nidako pag ayo ang numero sa mga senior citizens, sauna tingali madala pa og monthly2x kay naa ray 20,000, 30,000, kaya pa kaayo i monthly,’ Alcover said.
‘Pero karon unsaon nimo pag monthly ana nga 90,000 plus naman na (registered beneficiaries),’ he added.
Alcover explained that preparing payrolls and rollouts would take time, requiring about 12,000 pages of signatures, which would be difficult if done monthly.
‘Wala nay laing mahimo ang Cebu City, pag prepare nalang sa payroll,’ he said.
He also noted that each payout requires additional personnel, including disbursing officers from other departments, to be deployed in barangays.
As a solution, Alcover said he consulted senior citizens’ associations, who preferred quarterly distribution.
‘Kay bentaha kuno og quarterly kay dili sila kalas og pamilite, maka save sila kay kung i monthly nimo kada buwan sila mu plite,’ he said.
Moving forward, Alcover said he would file an amendment ordinance to formalize quarterly distribution, contrary to what the existing ordinance provides.
On another issue, Alcover also opposed a resolution seeking to increase financial assistance, calling it ‘false hopes’ for seniors.
The City Council earlier approved a motion to raise annual financial aid to P15,000 and adjust residency eligibility requirements to broaden coverage, following a privilege speech by Councilor Sisinio Andales, Minority Floor Leader.
Alcover said this too was impractical, warning it would only cause confusion among senior citizens.
Andales had proposed adjusting the residency cut-off from 2013 to 2021 to include more beneficiaries. Alcover, however, said budget constraints remain the main limitation.
‘Duna man gud tay limitasyon. Ang budget atong linitasyon maong di pa gyud ta kapasaka pa (eligibility),’ he said.