PHILIPPINES: 21,000 seniors await P500 subsidy

. Barangay officials asked to speed up submission of names MANILA, Philippines (Manila Bulletin), September 15, 2008: By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY — Some 21,000 senior citizens in the different parts of the Cordillera are still awaiting the release of the promised, one-time P500 subsidy from President Arroyo. The number of the prospective beneficiaries of the subsidy is still expected to increase in the coming days as more senior citizens are submitting their registration papers with local officials. Social workers in the different local government units are calling on barangay officials to fast-track the submission of the names of the qualified senior citizens so that they could process the release of the subsidy. So far, there are 21,636 senior citizens region-wide who were awaiting the release of the one-time P500 subsidy from the national government’s Katas ng VAT program. The office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Cordillera said beneficiaries of the program are poor, old people (60 years old and above) who have no definite source of income and are not receiving any pension from the government or private companies. The Cordillera DSWD office called on the barangays in the region who have responded to the survey conducted by the agency to facilitate the submission of the list of qualified senior citizens who are qualified to receive the subsidy. The list of qualified beneficiaries will be subject to validation to prevent alleged misrepresentation. The "Katas ng VAT" program has been devised by the national government as one of the approaches to mitigate the negative impact of the rising cost of basic commodities. A previous survey conducted by concerned government agencies showed there are 44,875 senior citizens in the different parts of the Cordillera, but the number is expected to increase once the final list of the elderly folk is submitted by the barangays. The leaders of senior citizens associations in the region lauded the one-time subsidy, saying that although the amount is not much, it could go a long way in helping the senior citizens who do not have sources of income. Meanwhile, the leaders appealed to the concerned government agencies to help them in their campaign for the strict compliance by various companies and establishments with the law granting 20 percent discount to senior citizens. They noted that many establishments ignore the law and refuse to grant the required discount. These establishments include drugstores, restaurants, and public utility vehicles. At the same time, they expressed support for a bill in Congress granting an increase in the discount for senior folk from 20 percent to 32 percent. They complained that the 20 percent discount is eaten up by the 12 percent value added tax, resulting in only an eight percent discount. Copyright © 2008, Manila Bulletin