MANILA Mayor Honey Lacuna is urging certain barangay heads to spare the senior citizens from politics by making sure that all of them get their doubled monthly allowance without any delay or hitches.
Lacuna made the call after receiving reports that some barangay chairmen, albeit few, who are identified with her political rivals have been threatening to make it difficult for senior citizens who are openly supporting the entire Lacuna slate to get their monetary aid from the city government.
“Bagama’t iilan lang naman ang mga chairman na ito, hindi ito dapat na mangyari. Walang kinalaman sa pulitika ang tulong na ibinibigay ng ating pamahalaang-lungsod para sa ating mga lolo at lola. Para sa kanila ‘yan kaya sana ay ibigay ninyo ang dapat na para sa kanila,” the lady mayor said.
She stressed that the senior citizens have been waiting for the said cash aid to augment their personal expenses, most especially their maintenance medicines.
“Maliit na nga lang ang naibibigay ng ating pamahalaang-lungsod, pahihirapan pa ang ating mga senior citizens. Ako po ay nakikiusap na ‘wag po ninyo itong gawin kung hindi ay mapipilitan kaming gumawa ng hakbang upang agad na makuha ng mga lolo at lola ang munting ayuda na para sa kanila,” Lacuna said.
The lady mayor also called on senior citizens who will be subjected to hassles because of politics to report the matter to City Hall for appropriate action, vowing that her administration will not allow it.
Office of Senior Citizens’ Affairs head Elinor Jacinto said that the senior citizens’ doubled allowance of P3,000 each covering the months of from January to March this year is being distributed via a cash payout specifically to make things easier for the elderly who complained of the difficulties they encountered in the old system employed before Lacuna assumed the mayorship, using the PayMaya.
Jacinto said Lacuna showed her full trust and confidence in barangay chairpersons that they can and will conduct the payouts in the most convenient way possible for the senior citizens.
“Pahalagahan po sana natin ang tiwalang ibinigay ng ating alkalde. Lahat po tayo ay tatanda,” Jacinto added, stressing that barangay chairmen are not supposed to engage in partisan politics.
The seniors’ allowance was raised by Lacuna from P500 to P1,000 a month through an ordinance she signed in October last year.
