The Makati City government announced that the distribution of cash incentives to senior citizens in the city has already started.
According to Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, a total of 83,857 Blu Card senior citizens holders will receive the year-end cash incentive early as the city government aims to spare them from the holiday rush and give them more time to plan ahead on what or where to spend their cash incentives.
“We want our senior Makatizens to be happy and feel that they are loved and cared for, that is why we made sure that they receive their cash incentives from the city government early,” Binay said.
Under the expanded benefits program for senior citizens, Blu Card holders receive their cash incentives twice a year: every July and December. For the year-end, seniors 60-69 years old will receive P1,500; 70-79 years old, P2,000; 80-89 years old, P2,500; and 90-99 years old, P5,000.
Centenarians aged 101 and above will also receive P5,000 year-end cash incentive provided that he/she has been a Blu Card holder for at least five years. If not, the beneficiary will only be receiving P2,500 year-end cash incentive.
The cash incentives are directly sent to the GCash accounts of the recipients to ensure the safe, convenient, and fast delivery of their Christmas gift.
Aside from the early year-end cash incentives, the city government has also started the distribution of its Pamaskong Handog gift bags to 240,000 residents on Nov. 2.
As of Nov. 8, the Makati Action Center has already distributed 6,298 Christmas bags to senior citizens.
“We usually distribute the Pamaskong Handog bags during the first week of December. These bags that contain assorted food products for Noche Buena have become a much-anticipated tradition for Proud Makatizens,” Binay said.
She explained that the city government moved up the distribution of the gift bags so that families need not worry about preparations for the traditional family meal during Christmas time especially now that the prices of most commodities continue to rise.
Each bag contains two cans of Spam luncheon meat, two cans of Vienna sausage, two cans of corned beef, one pack of spaghetti pasta with sauce, one can of fruit cocktail, one can of condensed milk, one can of cream, one box of cheese, and 2 Makatizen t-shirts.
The beneficiaries include 105,000 residents, 84,000 senior citizens, 12,000 differently-abled persons, 4,500 members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), 3,000 relocatees, 11,000 City Hall employees, 5,400 barangay employees, 3,300 DepEd-Makati public school teachers, 750 Makati police officers; 7,300 pedicab, tricycle, and jeepney drivers; and 1,300 vendors.
Aside from the Pamaskong Kubol at the City Hall quadrangle, the city government has also started giving out Pamaskong Handog tickets and gift bags at the MAC satellite offices in barangays.
The city government said the distribution of Christmas bags will be conducted until Dec. 31.