Sunday, September 09, 2007 Tabanda pushes for parking slot allocation for senior citizens
PURSUANT to the expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2003, Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda is seeking for the allotment of parking slots for the elderly at City Hall.
Tabanda said in consonance with the allocation plan and parking guidelines, at least two slots should be reserved for the elderly.
She said this facilitates the transactions of senior citizens at City Hall in extending its services to the poor and the elderly.
Among the privileges given to the elderly under Republic Act 9257 is the 20 percent discount in fares, movie houses, groceries and medicines, among others.
At the city government, pending for implementation under the Office of the Mayor is a proposal by former Councilor Federico Mandapat Jr. for the put-up of an elevator, which would cater the needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities.
The installation of the elevator was put on hold, after Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. approved the recommendation of the Bids and Awards Committee to re-align the budget for security services at City Hall instead since it is reportedly not practical to install an elevator that would go only one floor up.
Mandapat, now the regional director of the Department of Transportation and Communication, criticized the move, saying the BAC and the mayor himself are not considerate of the plight of PWDs and the elderly.(Rimaliza Opiña)
