Legazpi seniors, drivers start to receive cash aid

By Cet Dematera

Some 2,300 members of senior citizen groups listed by the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) of Legazpi City had already received P1,500 each as financial assistance of the city government to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 to this vulnerable sector.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal said that the first batch of elderly recipients came from the villages of Banquerohan, Taysan, Homapon, and Bagacay.

The payout materialized after the city council had approved Resolution No. 15-0290-2021 allocating cash assistance to the OSCA-member seniors and tricycle drivers in order to lessen the burden being brought to their livelihood by the pandemic.

“We want to commend the city council for passing such resolution that allowed the handing of cash assistance to these sectors of our society,” Rosal said.

He said that the P3.45-million already disbursed was merely a fraction of the total budget allocation of P30.45 million for the 18,500 OSCA-registered seniors and 2,500 tricycle drivers from the city’s 70 barangays.

The driver beneficiaries will be receiving P1,000 each to alleviate their financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

OSCA chief Wilfredo “Pecos “ Intia, in a separate interview, said that the cash aid would be distributed in the barangays through the help of the Barangay Association of Senior Citizens Affairs (BASCA) in order to avoid breaching of the health and safety protocols, particularly the social distancing.

“Even in the distribution of this cash assistance, we need to observe the protocols, particularly on social distancing to avoid potential spread of the virus,” Pecos said.

Bagacay barangay chief Julian Ariola said that he was very grateful to the effort of the city government to give the senior citizens financial aid that could augment in the purchase of their maintenance medicines.

Ariola said the financial assistance is very important to senior citizens especially those who have no regular income.

“This (cash aid) is already a big help to us, more so to those who do not have regular source of income anymore,” Ariola said.