A PROPOSED ordinance providing P100,000 assistance to centenarians is being pushed in the 19th Davao City Council.
Ordinance proponent Councilor Wilfredo Al-ag said in a radio interview that the proposed Centenarian Ordinance is slated to be approved under second reading on Tuesday, July 13.
"Katong mag-abot og 100 ang edad, ang local [government] maghatag og P100,000 premyo nila sa pag-abot nila og (Those who would reach the age of 100 years old and above, they will be given P100,000 as a reward for reaching) 100 years old,” Al-ag said in an interview onn 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Al-ag, who heads the committee on social service, said this is a counterpart to the centenarians program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), wherein the agency also provides P100,000 cash assistance to the centenarians.
Centenarians will receive a total of P200,000 cash benefits should the local ordinance be approved.
For centenarians who do not have their birth certificate, he said they will refer to the DSWD master list. He said they will be considered in the city’s cash assistance once their eldest child will age 80 years old and above, based on the DSWD record.
Before it was passed to the City Council, the councilor said he already discussed the ordinance provision to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
"Nakig-istorya na mi ni Mayor Inday [Sara], dili lang gyud lisod-lisoron og requirements kadtong mag-abot og 100 years old. Mas pasayunon pag-ayo ang mga requirements para ang mga centenarian dili maglisod pagdawat nila ang P100,000 gikan sa City of Davao," Al-ag said.
(I already talked to Mayor Sara and the requirements will be streamlined for those who will reach 100 years old. We will make the requirements convenient for our centenarians so that it won’t be difficult for them to receive P100,000 from the Davao City government.)
He said the ordinance is expected to be fully enacted next month.
Al-ag said his committee is also set to pass an ordinance providing P3,000 cash assistance to an estimated 15,000 persons with disabilities.
He said the ordinance might be approved this year and the distribution will start next year.
Al-ag's committee also passed an ordinance providing P1,500 annual pension for qualified senior citizens in November 2019.
The pension should have been distributed starting in the second week of November 2020. But due to the unforeseen circumstances brought about by the pandemic, the implementation was delayed. (RGL with Kris Ilagan, NDDU Intern)