Not many realize it, but Biñan City, Laguna Vice Mayor Gel Alonte’s role as presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panglungsod was more than simply a symbolic or ceremonial title.
It was at the Sangguniang Panglungsod that Alonte was able to push through the programs of the city government under Mayor Arman Dimaguila.
In fact, Alonte himself was responsible for some of the landmark legislation that ensured that every Biñanense would benefit from the city’s continued economic prosperity.
The vice-mayor, in particular, was the proponent of one of the landmark social welfare programs the city government enacted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: the monthly local pension for senior citizens.
It was Alonte who authored City Ordinance No. 16-2021, which institutionalized the payout of a regular monthly pension of P500 for the city's senior citizens, to be given out two times a year.
"Kinikilala ng Pamahalaang Lungsod [ng Biñan] ang kontribusyon at mga tungkuling ginampanan at [patuloy na] ginagampanan ng mga senior citizens," Alonte explained in the first part of the ordinance which was enacted in July 2021 and took effect in January 2022, as the country slowly began its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aside from this, the ordinance was also meant to augment the limited monthly pensions received by indigent senior citizens from the national government.
Benefits for seniors
The local senior pension program of Biñan City has benefitted a total of 18,660 senior citizens in the city (from the initial number of 18,000 senior citizens when the ordinance was first implemented in February 2022), based on the latest data from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
The local senior citizens' pension program also earned the city the “Pagkilala sa Natatanging Kontribusyon (PaNata Ko) sa Bayan Awards” for 2023 of DSWD – Region IV-A last February 15.
Among other awards, the Biñan LGU received the GAPAS (Gawad sa Paglilingkod sa Sambahayan) Award for Model LGU Implementing Protective Programs and Services; the GAPAS Award for Model LGU Implementing Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens; and the Paglaray Award for the LGU's support for monitoring of social welfare development laws.
But more than the awards and recognitions received by the city government of Biñan, Alonte’s landmark legislative program serves to honor the contributions of senior citizens to society and give them additional assistance for their day-to-day living, as they face the realities of their advanced age.
“Nakakatuwang makita ang positibong epekto ng ating monthly pension sa mga senior citizens,” Alonte himself said in a message to OpinYon Laguna.
“Maraming lolo at lola ang nagkukwento kung paano ang tulong na ito ay nakapagbigay ng kaunting ginhawa sa kanilang pang-araw-araw na pamumuhay. Ang mga simpleng pangangailangan tulad ng gamot at pagkain ay mas madaling natutugunan, at ang kanilang dignidad bilang mga nakatatanda ay naaalagaan.”
Meanwhile, the vice mayor also bared future plans to expand the city government’s current programs for senior citizens.
“Magkakaroon tayo ng mga health check-up, mental wellness programs, at mga recreational activities na layuning makapagbigay ng masayang kapaligiran. Nais din natin ng mas maayos na access sa mga serbisyong medikal at social services, pati na rin ang pagbuo ng mga support groups na mag-uugnay sa ating mga senior citizens. Sa pamamagitan ng mga hakbang na ito, mas mapapalakas natin ang kanilang kapakanan at komunidad,” he added.
Social pension for seniors:
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #BiñanLGU #BiñanCityViceMayorGelAlonte #SocialPension