The 19th Council of Davao City approved last Thursday, May 19, an amendment to Ordinance No. 0105-19, which mandates the annual granting of P1,500 financial incentive to senior citizens aged 65 years and older. The amendment or Ordinance No. 0954-22, to be known as ‘The Amended Annual Financial Assistance to All Qualified Senior Citizens Ordinance of Davao City’, expands the pool of senior citizen beneficiaries to include citizens aged 60 to 64 years.
In an interview, 2nd District Councilor Ralph Abella, the principal proponent of the amendment, said that the grant is meant to assist all elderly in their medical expenses and other health essentials, while the inclusion of the 60 to 64 years old Dabawenyos is a move to further strengthen the city’s commitment to delivering care and putting importance on the plight of Davao City’s senior citizens. He also said that upon implementation, the number of grantees will increase from 125,344 senior citizens to 162,245.
Other than the expansion of the ordinance’s coverage, the amendment also introduced exemptions to the qualification process of beneficiaries. While senior citizens had to show proof that they are registered voters in one of the city districts before, this is not a requirement anymore as long as they can provide a certificate of residency from the barangay that states they are Davao City residents for at least five years.
Although the funds for the cash grant will be sourced from the annual city budget, Ordinance No. 0954-22 also gives power to the barangays to award a similar grant with funding coming from their collected Real Property Tax.
The grant will be awarded annually, every second week of November. Whether or not the amendment will be implemented depends on the city’s budget. CIO
