“Sa Lungsod ng Biñan, seniors ay inaalagaan.”
HE really meant it when Biñan City, Laguna Mayor Arman Dimaguila first announced it last August.
The news spread like wildfire that the city government is launching a program to give out a monthly pension for its qualified senior citizens.
Assurance
Amid all the hype that City Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2020, received in social media, city officials had given the assurance that: one, all qualified senior citizens will be given a monthly pension; and two, the city government has prepared extensively for the program.
“Nais namin na kanilang malaman at higit na maramdaman na meron silang Pamahalaan na iniisip ang kanilang kapakanan,” Vice Mayor Gel Alonte, one of those who pushed for the passage of the ordinance, said.
“Ang namamahala sa Pamahalaang Lungsod ay hindi lamang nakikita sa panahon ng kampanyahan, bagkus ay patuloy na gumagawa ng mga paraan upang tugunan ang lahat ng suliranin ng ating lungsod at maging bukas ang komunikasyon sa lahat ng mga mamamayan.”
Expanded coverage
According to Olay Casbadillo, head of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), there was already an existing program called “Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens” given out by the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“[Pero] since galing po sa national government ang funds, limited po ang slots para sa social pension for indigent senior citizens – halimbawa po, sa Biñan, mayroon lang po tayong allocation for 3,330 senior citizens,” a fraction of the estimated 28,000 senior citizens estimated to be living in the city, she explained.
“Naunawaan naman po namin ang sitwasyon, kasi nga po buong bansa ang scope ng naturang proyekto. And as much as gusto po naming tulungan ang mga senior na lumalapit sa aming opisina, puno na po ang slots na ibinigay ng national government para sa ganitong proyekto.”
In addition, she related, there are 690 senior citizens that were already being given pension by the local government, but the city government realized that there may be more senior citizens that do not get their much-needed financial aid.
“Nakita natin na hindi lahat ng mga nakatatanda sa ating lungsod ay nakatatanggap ng pensyon mula sa pribadong institusyon o sa gobyerno at atin silang nirerespeto at pinahahalagahan na gaya ng ating mga magulang,” Alonte also told OpinYon Laguna.
“Alam natin ang kanilang mga pangangailangan, at kung magkakaroon ng sapat na alokasyon ang ating pamahalaan ay atin itong matutugunan.”
Exact data
Vice Mayor Alonte related that the passage of City Ordinance No. 20-2020 was a “breeze,” primarily due to the overwhelming support of the Sangguniang Panglungsod to the measure.
“Ang pagbalangkas at ang pagpapasa ng naturang ordinansa ay naging madali dahil nagkakaisa ang lahat ng miyembro ng Sangguniang Panlungsod at iisa ang aming layunin. Ito rin ay bilang pagsuporta sa ating Punong Lungsod na gumawa at magpatupad ng mga programang mag-aangat sa antas ng kabuhayan ng mga mamamayan ng Lungsod ng Biñan sa lahat ng sektor lalo na sa ating mga nakatatanda,” he related.
But as much as they wanted to push through the implementation of the program as soon as possible, Casbadillo said is scope required thorough research and data-gathering.
“Mahirap na po kasi na magre-request po kami ng ordinansa na wala po kaming maipapakita na datos,” she said.
They decided to take advantage of the “Paskong Alalay” program for senior citizens last Christmas to draw up the exact number of seniors in Biñan City.
“So noon po, mayroon na po kaming mga form na pina-fill up para sa mga senior doon, para malaman po namin kung existing pa po yung mga nakalista dito sa Biñan,” she told OpinYon Laguna.
The CSWDO also conducted house-to-house visits to senior citizens while giving out their Paskong Alalay gifts, to verify that these seniors are qualified for the program.
Qualifications
Under City Ordinance No. 20, “qualified” senior citizens will receive P500 per month or P6,000 per year through the CSWDO.
Qualified beneficiaries must be residents 60 years old and above who do not have a livelihood, are not receiving pensions from other public and private agencies, and do not have relatives who have enough income to support them.
The senior citizen must also be a registered voter and a registered member of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) – Biñan for at least two years.
Ready for it
The first question that most senior citizens had when the news first came out is, when will the program start?
Casbadillo pointed out that under the ordinance, the actual pension program will start January 2022, as both the CSWDO and the Sangguniang Panglungsod have to prepare the adequate funds and logistics for the project.
“Hindi po namin kayang i-implement ito nang isang snap lamang,” she explained. “May proseso po na kailangang pagdaanan.”
Then the CSWDO has to distribute sworn statements to all senior citizens in the city to assess whether they are qualified for the pension program.
“Gaya ng ginawa po namin sa ‘ayuda’ this year, hindi po kami nag-discriminate – regardless of whether pensioner na o hindi, kapag nag-request po sila ng ‘Sinumpaang Salaysay’ form, ang instructions po namin is bigyan, para bigyan po sila ng chance na ma-assess,” she added.
The city government also conducted a full dissemination program – which included a Facebook page entitled “Pensyon ni Lolo at Lola – City of Biñan” – not only on the ordinance itself but also on the steps needed to be done by senior citizens who want to qualify for the pension.
Social pension
“Alam ko po na maraming nag-abang sa programang ito,” Mayor Dimaguila himself said during a recent radio program on Radyo Binan in which he and other city officials answered questions regarding the social pension program.
“Makakaasa po kayo na yung serbisyo pong ito ay makakaabot sa lahat ng mga taga-Biñan,” he also assured.