ZAMBOANGA City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar tasked the City Social Welfare and Development Officer Socorro Rojas to study the possibility of providing financial benefits to senior citizens in addition to those provided by the National Government based on existing laws.
Salazar wanted a local counterpart for social pension for senior citizens currently included in the list of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and social pension for those not beneficiaries of the DSWD.
Salazar also wanted a local counterpart for the cash incentive given by the National Government to centenarians based on Republic Act 10868 otherwise known as the Centenarians Act of 2016.
The mayor said senior citizens deserved the benefits and privileges considering their contributions to the city.
The DSWD currently provides a P500 a month or P6,000 yearly incentive to the senior citizens aside from the social pensions they receive from the Government Service Insurance System or the Social Service System.
The Republict Act 10868, which was approved in June 2016, grants a P100,000 cash incentive and additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians.
Rojas said funding has to be included in the budget for next year so that the proposed local counterpart can be given to deserving senior citizens. (Sunnex)
