THE first day of the simultaneous distribution of the annual financial aid to the senior citizens in Mandaue City on April 12, 2021 went on smoothly.
Melinda Bihag, the president of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca), said they have not experienced any challenges and difficulties on the first day of the distribution.
The Osca members together with the staff from the City Treasurer’s Office, police officers, barangay officials and tanods distributed the financial aid of P4,000.
She said there was no reported incident of crowding in the barangays during the house-to-house distribution of the financial aid.
Bihag told Sunstar Cebu that they have been advising their members of the guidelines to observe during the distribution, particularly the minimum health protocol.
This financial aid is the first half of the P8,000 annual financial aid of the senior citizens in Mandaue City.
Bihag told SunStar Cebu that this cash aid will be of big help to the senior citizens especially those who have maintenance medicine but no pension, and for their daily consumption.
The distribution of the financial aid started on April 12 and will end on April 23.
Bihag said those who cannot claim the cash aid may go to the barangay hall to claim it before the schedule ends.
However, if they cannot claim within the given period, their cash aid will be forfeited.
The senior citizens should be the ones to claim their financial aid by presenting their Senior Citizen ID.
However, those who are hospitalized or in isolation or quarantine can still claim it through an authorized representative.
The representative must present an authorization letter (Osca form), medical certificate (for the hospitalized), a certificate from the local emergency operations center (for those in isolation), the original cope of the Senior Citizen ID and the original copy of a government-issued ID.
In case of death of a senior citizen who was validated on February 2021 until the present, the immediate, legitimate and authorized family member can claim the assistance by presenting the Senior Citizen ID and the death certificate of the deceased.
Those who died prior to the February 2021 validation are not entitled to claim the assistance.
The Osca had its ceremonial cash aid distribution to the senior citizens in Brgy. Centro that started at 1 p.m. on April 12. (KFD)