Cebu City restores quarterly seniors cash aid distribution

Local

CEBU City has formally restored the quarterly distribution of financial assistance for senior citizens.

However, beneficiaries will now face stricter claiming requirements, including a shorter claiming window, mandatory presentation of original identification cards, and tighter rules on who may receive the aid.

The updated guidelines are contained in Executive Order (EO) No. 077, Series of 2026, issued by Mayor Nestor Archival on June 3 and transmitted by the Office of the City Administrator to the Cebu City Council for information during its regular session on June 16.

The order officially shifts the city’s senior citizens’ financial assistance program back to a quarterly schedule beginning with the second quarter of 2026. Qualified beneficiaries will receive P3,000 every quarter, equivalent to P1,000 per month under the city’s annual P12,000 assistance program.

In the EO, Archival cited administrative efficiency, post-disaster recovery efforts following Typhoon Tino, and the need to streamline operations at the City Treasurer’s Office as among the reasons for reverting to quarterly releases.

The mayor also noted what he described as a convergence of policy direction between the executive and legislative branches following the City Council's support for restoring the quarterly schedule.

Under the new guidelines, payouts will be conducted over 10 days, with schedules announced at least one week in advance. Distribution hours will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The first three days of each payout cycle will be conducted in barangays, schools, or gymnasiums, while bedridden beneficiaries will be served through house-to-house distribution during the same period.

Seniors who fail to claim their assistance during the barangay payout schedule may still receive it at the City Treasurer’s Office during the remaining seven days.

One of the most significant provisions of the order is the forfeiture of unclaimed assistance after the 10-day distribution period.

The order further states that beneficiaries who fail to claim their financial assistance for three consecutive quarters without a valid justification may be temporarily inactivated from the program.

The city also tightened documentary requirements.

Beneficiaries must present their original Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) identification card when claiming assistance. Photocopies or scanned copies of IDs will not be accepted.

Senior citizens who lose their IDs must first secure replacements or certifications from OSCA before they can receive their benefits.

The order likewise directs disbursing officers to withhold payments when discrepancies are found between a beneficiary’s OSCA identification number and the information reflected in payroll records.

The executive order reinforces the city’s long-standing policy requiring beneficiaries to personally claim their assistance.

“No authorization letter shall be honored during the distribution,” the order states.

The provision is consistent with Archival’s earlier opposition to allowing family members to claim assistance on behalf of incapacitated or absent beneficiaries, a position he has repeatedly defended as necessary to prevent ghost beneficiaries and fraudulent claims.

The only exception covers deceased beneficiaries who remain listed in the payroll. Immediate family members may claim the assistance on the fourth day of the distribution period, provided they present the deceased senior’s OSCA ID, death certificate, proof of relationship, and a valid government-issued identification card.

However, family members may only receive the assistance due for the current payout and may not collect benefits previously forfeited by the deceased beneficiary.

The stricter rules mirror Archival’s earlier veto of a provision in City Ordinance No. 2809 that would have allowed immediate family members to claim assistance for bedridden or incapacitated seniors.

In March, the City Council approved amendments restoring quarterly payouts and permitting family-assisted claims in certain circumstances.

Archival vetoed the family-claim provision, arguing it created a “significant loophole” that could expose public funds to misuse.

The Cebu City Legal Office later upheld the veto, describing it as legally valid and necessary to protect accountability and comply with audit requirements.

Instead of allowing proxy claimants, the mayor proposed expanded house-to-house distribution, direct validation of beneficiaries, and stricter monitoring mechanisms.

The EO adopts many of those safeguards, including mandatory reporting by disbursing officers, updated beneficiary validation, and photographic documentation of aid distributed to bedridden seniors.(TGP)