MANILA, (PIA) — Mayor Honey Lacuna will sign an ordinance today that will double the monthly allowance for senior citizens in Manila from P500 to P1,000.
This initiative aligns with the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) support for indigent seniors, making Lacuna the first mayor in the country to match this allowance.
The signing will take place at the Mayor’s Office in Manila City Hall, with the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) Officer-In-Charge Elinor A. Jacinto also in attendance.
The new allowance is set to be implemented in January 2025, with payouts scheduled every three months starting in March.
Currently, there are approximately 200,000 seniors in Manila who will benefit from this increase.
Eligibility for the allowance includes seniors who are residents and voters in Manila, while those who have moved to other locations will no longer qualify.
“If a senior misses the scheduled payout, it will be the barangay’s responsibility to locate them, and OSCA will visit their residence to disburse the allowance,” Mayor Lacuna explained.
The mayor emphasized the improvements in the distribution process under her administration, stating, “We have made the process more systematic and efficient. There have been significant improvements since I took office, with regular updates ensuring that only true beneficiaries receive the allowance.”
Lacuna also assured residents that her administration is committed to responsible fiscal management.
“To ensure public funds are not wasted, we regularly clean our beneficiary list to remove those who have passed away, relocated, or provided false documentation,” she said.
Lacuna’s administration has focused on enhancing social amelioration programs to ensure that public funds are spent wisely and to prevent any potential fraud. (AVS/PIA-NCR)
