Not all senior citizens can receive onetime cash-subsidy - DSWD
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV
12/27/2008 | 04:08 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Not all lolos and lolas can take home the onetime cash-subsidy worth P500 from the government, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Saturday.
During Vice President Noli De Castro's radio program on Saturday, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral said that the "Katas ng VAT-Tulong Para Kay Lolo at Lola" project, a onetime P500-cash subsidy for qualified senior citizens, would not be able to service all Filipino retirees.
"Hindi po dahil sa nagmamaramot at hindi dahil sa may paborito, hindi po dahil sa ang pera ay napunta kung saan kung hindi talagang kulang ang P500 million para mabigyan lahat ng senior citizens," Cabral said.
[Translation: "It's not that we're being selfish or that we have favorites or that the money went elsewhere. It's just that the P500-million budget is not enough to include all senior citizens."]
According to Cabral, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo allotted P500 million for one million senior citizens.
However, she said that they could only give one out of six retirees the subsidy since there are almost six million retirees over 60 years old, prompting them to raise the qualification age to 70.
"Ang pera natin ay para sa isang milyon lamang kaya ginawan namin ng prioritization so ang sabi natin ay medyo mas malapit nang hindi abutin ang 70 years old, kaya inuna po natin ang mas nakakatanda kaysa sa matatanda," she said.
[Translation: "Our budget is for only one million that's why we prioritized, we said that those over 70 have little time so we prioritized the older from the old."]
De Castro said that it was better nothing.
"Tulong lang naman ho ito. Aba'y meron namang makikinabang. Mayroong hindi makikinabagang, pero kapag hindi po magbibigay, walang makikinabang," De Castro said.
[Translation: "This just assistance. Some may benefit, some may not. But if they don't give any subsidy at all, nobody will benefit."]
Under this project, beneficiaries must be dependent or belong to a family whose income is within or below the poverty threshold per area and not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), or any private or government agency retirement benefits, the DSWD said in its website (www.dswd.gov.ph).
If there are two qualified retirees in one family, only one of them will be given the P500 subsidy.
"Though it may not be much, this modest amount will enable them to purchase food or medicines or spend in other needs," Cabral said in the website.
The project is funded through revenues generated from the expanded value added tax collection and implemented in coordination with local governments units and the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs.
Claimants or their representatives are advised to present a valid identification card stating the date of birth of the senior citizen. - GMANews.TV
During Vice President Noli De Castro's radio program on Saturday, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral said that the "Katas ng VAT-Tulong Para Kay Lolo at Lola" project, a onetime P500-cash subsidy for qualified senior citizens, would not be able to service all Filipino retirees.
"Hindi po dahil sa nagmamaramot at hindi dahil sa may paborito, hindi po dahil sa ang pera ay napunta kung saan kung hindi talagang kulang ang P500 million para mabigyan lahat ng senior citizens," Cabral said.
[Translation: "It's not that we're being selfish or that we have favorites or that the money went elsewhere. It's just that the P500-million budget is not enough to include all senior citizens."]
According to Cabral, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo allotted P500 million for one million senior citizens.
However, she said that they could only give one out of six retirees the subsidy since there are almost six million retirees over 60 years old, prompting them to raise the qualification age to 70.
"Ang pera natin ay para sa isang milyon lamang kaya ginawan namin ng prioritization so ang sabi natin ay medyo mas malapit nang hindi abutin ang 70 years old, kaya inuna po natin ang mas nakakatanda kaysa sa matatanda," she said.
[Translation: "Our budget is for only one million that's why we prioritized, we said that those over 70 have little time so we prioritized the older from the old."]
De Castro said that it was better nothing.
"Tulong lang naman ho ito. Aba'y meron namang makikinabang. Mayroong hindi makikinabagang, pero kapag hindi po magbibigay, walang makikinabang," De Castro said.
[Translation: "This just assistance. Some may benefit, some may not. But if they don't give any subsidy at all, nobody will benefit."]
Under this project, beneficiaries must be dependent or belong to a family whose income is within or below the poverty threshold per area and not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), or any private or government agency retirement benefits, the DSWD said in its website (www.dswd.gov.ph).
If there are two qualified retirees in one family, only one of them will be given the P500 subsidy.
"Though it may not be much, this modest amount will enable them to purchase food or medicines or spend in other needs," Cabral said in the website.
The project is funded through revenues generated from the expanded value added tax collection and implemented in coordination with local governments units and the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs.
Claimants or their representatives are advised to present a valid identification card stating the date of birth of the senior citizen. - GMANews.TV
