Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna over the weekend ordered a review of the list of senior citizens receiving benefits from the city government.
Lacuna issued the directive to the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs following reports that some beneficiaries are already dead or no longer living in the capital city.
OSCA chief Elinor Jacinto was directed by the mayor to ensure the beneficiaries’ strict compliance with the requirement that they personally appear at city hall every time they collect their benefits.
Seniors in Manila get P500 a month, 20 percent discount in all establishments, free cakes during birthdays and free entry at movie houses.
The mayor added reports have reached her that some seniors had multiple registrations in different barangays to allow them to collect multiple times.
Nonetheless, Lacuna assured those seniors who have been denied their benefits on account of incomplete requirements that they would be assisted by city hall to be included in the list of beneficiaries.
She said staff members were specifically assigned to help seniors fill up application forms.
“Many have already come to us to sort out their problems with the masterlist. We have laptops and computers for the seniors’ use in registering,” Lacuna said.
“When it comes to public funds, we are very careful in bringing benefits down to the barangay level so there are no reasons why others would be deprived,” she added.
She cited instances of seniors registered in their barangays and also in the barangays of their children. Lacuna vowed to prosecute fake registrants.