Politics mars distribution of cash aid for seniors
A GROUP of senior citizens in Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City had to call the 911 hotline when a commotion arose during the distribution of their financial assistance yesterday morning.
Members of Mandaue Police Station 3 immediately arrived to pacify the situation.
The trouble started past 8 a.m., when some elderly were barred from entering the Paknaan barangay gym because they did not have the senior citizen benefit card issued by the City Government last week.
The City, through the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca), distributed the second tranche of the financial assistance in the 27 barangays.
Filling out application
Senior citizens get P6,000 yearly as cash aid from the City.
Paknaan’s senior citizen chapter has two presidents, newly elected Gabriel Babon and former head Avelino “Billy” Diano.
The City recognizes Babon as the legitimate president of the Paknaan Senior Citizens Association (PSCA).
The City started issuing the senior citizen benefit card last week.
Melinda Bihag, head of Osca, said beneficiaries were required to bring their Osca identification card and the senior citizen benefit card to claim the cash aid.
Most of the elderly who didn’t have a benefit card belong to Diano’s group.
However, this does not mean they won’t get the cash aid, Bihag said.
Babon said beneficiaries only have to fill out the application form for the benefit card, which is given by zone coordinators.
However, Diano said Paknaan Barangay Captain Malaquias Soco was the one who created Babon’s group.
He said Babon’s group did not follow the process of election of new officials like filing the certification of candidacy (COC) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that was created by the PSCA.
Refusing to let go
Carmelito Canoy, a member of Diano’s group, showed a copy of Soco’s letter, asking the Comelec of PSCA for 30 COCs late last year.
In the case of Babon, his group filed their COCs with Osca, which, according to Bihag, was the right thing to do.
Bihag said they followed National Board Memorandum Circular 01-2013, which states the guidelines of the synchronization of Federation of Senior Citizen Association of Philippines and the Osca.
She said Diano might be talking about other guidelines because the PSCA was also registered with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Diano’s term, which ended last June 30.
Since Diano’s group did not file a COC with Osca, Bihag said it was considered that Babon had no opponent.
What happened last January was there were two elections for PSCA officers.
Diano said they will file a grave abuse of authority complaint against Soco for intervening in PSCA activities.
In a TV Patrol Central Visayas report, Soco said Diano’s group could not just accept that they are no longer officials of PSCA.