Cebu City lawmakers are proposing to expand eligibility for the city government’s P12,000 annual financial assistance for senior citizens. The move seeks to adjust a voter registration requirement that currently excludes some elderly residents.
Councilor Nyza “Nice” Archival has filed an amendment to City Ordinance No. 2453, which will shift the cut-off year for eligible beneficiaries from 2013 to 2014.
Under the proposal, senior citizens may qualify for the annual assistance if they were registered voters of Cebu City as of 2014, as certified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The current rule limits coverage to those registered by 2013.
City Ordinance No. 2453 provides P12,000 yearly assistance to qualified elderly residents.
The policy originally required beneficiaries to have been Cebu City voters since 2010, but was later relaxed in 2019 under Ordinance No. 2529, which moved the cut-off to 2013.
Archival said the latest adjustment aims to include a remaining group of senior citizens who registered in 2014 but continue to be excluded from the program and remain on the waiting list.
The proposed amendment cites the mandate of local government units under Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 to deliver social welfare programs for vulnerable sectors.
“The City Council deems it necessary to expand the coverage of City Ordinance No. 2453, as amended, from 2013 to 2014, to reflect the policy direction of the City in identifying qualified beneficiaries,” the draft measure stated.
If approved, the change will apply to new applicants seeking inclusion in the program.
The measure includes standard provisions on separability, repealing clauses, and effectivity 15 days after publication or posting at the Cebu City Hall bulletin board, whichever comes earlier.
The senior assistance program remains one of Cebu City’s key social welfare initiatives, though its voter-based eligibility rules have long been a subject of debate over access and inclusivity.
Photo by Jacq Hernandez
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