By Jean Fernando
Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez announced that the city government is set to roll out OSCA Care food voucher/gift certificates worth Php1,000 to all its senior citizens starting today, April 20.
Olivarez said this is part of the city’s continuing relief operations to ensure the well-being of residents especially the elderly who are most vulnerable and equally helpless during the quarantine period.
Public Information Office (PIO) chief Mar Jimenez, said that Olivarez deemed its best to protect the senior citizens at this exceptional time by extending them with additional lifeline to sustain their essential needs during crisis.
Jimenez said that the office of Senior Citizens Affairs disclosed that the city has at the latest count 57,000 OSCA registered senior citizens across 16 barangays.
Olivarez assured the quick release of said food voucher and gave instruction to all senior citizens’ association presidents to fast track the preparation of their master lists of qualified members and to submit the same at the earliest possible time.
The mayor said that senior citizens have been severely affected by the isolation due to their vulnerability to COVID-19.
Olivarez said that the urgency prompted him to strategize delivery mechanism to ensure that food and other relief assistance may reach the elderlies right away.
Jimenez disclosed that the city government has availed itself of the services of AIR21, a premier logistics service provider to ensure senior citizens get the assistance on time thru door to door delivery as the city observes strict social distancing.
He added that senior citizens may get hold of the food voucher upon presentation of OSCA Care ID’s.
Jimenez further said that not all senior citizens were able to avail themselves of the cash aid under the social amelioration program of DSWD.
Jimenez claimed that in Paranaque City alone, only 77,000 out of 160,000 residents have received the government subsidy.
He also said that the city government has been distributing food packs and cash assistance to families affected by quarantine procedures.