Annual subsidy for Davao City’s senior citizens: from P1,500 to max of P3,000 “subject to availability of funds”
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /07 May) – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) on Tuesday passed on second reading a proposed law increasing the annual subsidy for qualified senior citizens from P1,500 to a maximum of P3,000.
“That’s (P3,000) the ceiling, said Councilor Pilar Braga, chair of the Committee on Social Services. “It would be depending on availability of funds,” she said of the “one-time annual subsidy.”
Julie Dayaday, chief of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) told MindaNews that the city has, as of 2024, 168,799 qualified senior citizens “and still we are unifying our data with the OSCA (Office for Senior Citizens Affairs).
“The registration of our senior citizens is ongoing,” Braga said. “I think one of the biggest sectors is the senior citizens,” she told reporters outside the session hall.
The approval on second reading came six days before election day. The next session day is on May 20. But Braga said the proposed ordinance took three committee hearings. “Nagkataon lang ngayon lang na finalize” (It’s just a coincidence that this was finalized now).
During her presentation at the session hall, Braga said CSWDO chief Dayaday endorsed the draft of the proposed ordinance to amend Ordinance 0945-22 passed in 2022 which provides for an annual subsidy of P1,500 to qualified senior citizens.
The proposed amendments are to increase the annual subsidy “from the minimum amount of P1,500 to P3,000 as the maximum, due to the high cost of their maintenance such as medicines and other expenses related to their health; to streamline the qualification requirements of the qualified senior citizen in availing the financial assistance; and assigning a cut-off date for the preparation of the payroll.”
In the 2025 budget, the City Council approved P255 million as lumpsum appropriation under the CSWDO for “annual financial assistance to all qualified senior citizens of Davao City” at P1,500 each.
Effectivity
According to the proposed ordinance, the purpose of amending is “to support qualified Senior Citizens in the cost of their maintenance for medicine and other expenses relative to their health in the maximum amount of Three Thousand Pesos (P3,000) annually, subject to availability of funds.”
Braga said the effectivity of the ordinance will be “immediately, as soon as the mayor signs the ordinance. Maybe by June.”
Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain Jr. told MindaNews that under Section 8 of the proposed ordinance, the funds for financial assistance to Senior Citizen shall be included in the annual budget of the City every fiscal year, subject to auditing and accounting rules and procedure. “Thus, if the said Ordinance will be approved this year, then possibly the additional subsidy (which is 1500) will be implemented next year and will be appropriated in the annual budget of the City for 2026.”
Braga said the funds for the increase could be included in a supplemental budget this year.
Payouts
Payouts under the existing ordinance are to be given in November each year but the CSWDO sought the amendment of the provision because there are distributions lined up for various sectors in November.
There have been several complaints, too, that senior citizens did not receive their subsidy. Last month, senior citizens in some barangays received P1,500 subsidy.
The proposed ordinance now provides for payouts to be given in the barangays during the months of July, August, September, and October every year but after five days from the date of the scheduled payout, “any unclaimed financial assistance shall be liquidated by the City Treasurer’s Office and shall be returned to the surplus funds of the city.”
The payout ends in the month of October, and it will be among the activities for the Elderly Filipino Week which is a nationwide celebration from October 1 to 7.
How to qualify
To be a “qualified senior citizen,” one must be 60 years old and above, must be a holder of an original copy of the Senior Citizens Identification Card (ID) issued by the Office for Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) of Davao City and must be a bona fide resident of Davao City for at least six months with a certification of residency from the barangay.
In the present ordinance, the senior citizen, to be qualified, must be 60 years old and above, must be a holder of an Senior Citizen ID card issued by OSCA and “must be a registered voter of Davao City” except those aged 75 and above who are not registered voters, “provided that they have a certificate of residency of at least five years issued by the barangay where they are residing;” and senior citizens with disability who are not registered voters, “provided that they have a valid PWD ID.”
The present ordinance also provides that to be a qualified senior citizen, one must be a member of a duly recognized Senior Citizen Organization recognized by OSCA and CSWDO “provided that no financial contribution shall be a requirement for their qualification to receive financial assistance under this Ordinance.”
The proposed ordinance encourages senior citizens to “affiliate with the duly recognized Senior Citizen Association/Organization/Chapter in their respective barangays” to be updated on the laws and issuances of the Senior Citizen programs and activities.
The proposed ordinance also states that for a senior citizen who is permanently bedridden due to illness, “the duly authorized representative must secure a certification concerning their condition from the CSWDO social workers assigned in the barangay prior to the scheduled payout of the financial assistance.”
The cut-off date for accepting the master list of qualified Senior Citizens availing of the annual subsidy shall be every last working day of May of every year. Those who will turn 60 years old from June to December of every year will be included in the master list for the next calendar year. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
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