As the leading communicators of the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) at the grassroots-level, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto lauded the efforts of the OSCA Communications (OSCOMMS) team during the group’s first anniversary celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

In a social media post, Sotto expressed his gratitude to the communications staff.

“Importante ang trabaho nila para mapabilis ang serbisyo at malinis ang database natin (Their job is important in helping speed up the office’s services, as well as organize and cleanse the senior citizens database),” he said.

Sotto lauded the many tasks and responsibilities of the OSCOMMS.

“Bukod sa pagsagot ng mga tanong ng seniors, koordinasyon sa barangay/asosasyon, at pagaayos ng records--- sila din po ay nagha-house-to-house validation ng ating listahan (Aside from answering the inquiries of our seniors, coordinating with the barangays and associations, and organizing records, they also conduct house-to-house validation of our list),” he said.

The OSCOMMS is also in charge of distributing the Christmas cash gifts and the Local Senior Pension (LSP) in December.

“Alam niyo bang may nahuhuli silang sumusubok na kumuha ng benepisyo kahit na ilan taon nang patay ang senior? Sila rin ang nagaayos ng iba't ibang isyu gaya ng mga report na may naniningil para sa white card, atbp (Did you know they catch people who try to acquire benefits even if the senior citizen in their care has been long dead? They also handle other issues in regards to irregularities such as reports of some staff members charging seniors with fees to avail of white cards, etc.),” he added.

Sotto said there is still room for improvement but recognizes the strides of OSCA in terms of cooperation between their regular staff and of OSCOMMS.

The local government created the OSCOMMS in November 2021 with the aim of bringing senior citizen affairs closer to the public.

OSCOMMS was first staffed with interns of the Office of Senior Citizens’ Affairs (OSCA) who were under the Government Internship Program of the Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

There is one OSCOMMS team stationed at the Senior Citizens Information Desk in each of Pasig City’s 30 barangays. They coordinate with the barangay councilors assigned to senior citizens affairs.

Seniors’ affairs

The Pasig City local government, through OSCA and OSCOMMS, has been working towards developing more welfare programs for the city’s seniors.

Among the financial assistance programs for senior citizens is the annual cash gift wherein registered beneficiaries receive cash worth P3,000 by the end of every year.

Some 63,274 seniors were validated by the OSCA as of Sept. 30 to get the cash gift for 2022.

Launched in July 2022, the local senior pension (LSP) initiative also served as aid to seniors aged 65 and above who have the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the only source of their pensions.

Through the LSP, registered seniors get P500 per month. Over 16,000 beneficiaries were recorded by OSCA as of July.

Seniors who are unemployed or were unable to avail of pensions from the Social Security Service (SSS), or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) are also eligible to receive the LSP.

In October, Sotto also announced the local government’s plans to build a Pasig Senior Citizen Center in addition to the senior-friendly spaces renovated within the city’s RAVE rainforest park.