Ben Madilynn
THE City Government of Zamboanga, through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), released P240,000 cash incentives to 24 senior citizens to help them defray expenses of their respective needs.
Executive Assistant Edna Sumergido, on behalf of Mayor John Dalipe, led the distribution of the cash incentives on Wednesday, September 4, held at the elderly center in Sta. Maria village, Zamboanga City.
Sumergido on Thursday, September 5, 2024, said all of the recipients of the cash incentives are octogenarians and each of them received P10,000. Octogenarians are aged 80 to 89.
Sumergido said the beneficiaries are all residents of villages under the CSWDO-Field Office 3.
They are from the following villages: Sta. Maria, 13; Pasonanca, four; Tumaga, three; Canelar, two; Calarian, one; and, San Roque, one.
Sumergido said the grant of the cash incentives is pursuant to Ordinance 539, also known as Giving Benefits to Octogenarian and Nonagenarian Residents in Zamboanga City.
She said that under the ordinance, nonagenarians are entitled to receive a P20,000 cash incentive, while octogenarians receive P10,000 to help with their basic needs to include medicines and food.
Nonagenarians are senior citizens whose ages range from 90 to 99.
Meanwhile, Sumergido said they have also organized a house-to-house distribution to ensure that all beneficiaries will receive their incentives without needing to travel to the distribution centers, recognizing the mobility challenges faced by some elderly citizens. (SunStar Zamboanga)
