DESPITE THE killing of the “Largo Vida” programs by opposition councilors, Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco’s administration continues to provide assistance to the poor, especially families in crisis situation.
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| Mayor Beng Climaco hands over cash assistance to a Muslim beneficiary, one of many who are provided aid by the local government. (Bong Serondo) |
Just recently, Climaco - assisted by representatives from the City Treasurer’s Office and the City Social Welfare and Development Office - led the distribution of cash assistance to “families in crisis situation” as part of the local government’s social services program. The beneficiaries, who were seated a meter apart outside the mayor’s office, received their aid.
The social services program includes internment and medical assistance, and other support services, including immediate assistance for families displaced by fire.
Last month, senior citizens and their kin have praised Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco for putting the welfare of the elderly in the priority list of the local government’s pro-poor program.
The program’s beneficiaries, especially the centenarians, receive as much as P50,000 cash which is the local government’s share to the aid senior citizens received from the Department of Social Welfare and Development pursuant to the Republic Act 10858 or the Centenarian Act of 2016.
Nonagenarians or those who are 90-99 years old also receive P20,000 and for octogenarian or residents who are 80-89 years old get P10,000. This cash incentive seeks to ensure that senior citizens will have funds to buy basic necessities such as medicines.
Climaco blamed the opposition councilors - who are political allies of defeated mayoralty candidate Celso Lobregat and Representative Mannix Dalipe - for killing all the Vida Programs of the local government after they removed vital funding in the 2021 Executive Budget. One such program is the Largo Vida, an initiative that Climaco started in 2018 and which she intends to expand to over 60,000 beneficiaries this year.
She identified the opposition councilors as Monsi dela Cruz, John Dalipe, BG Guingona, Mike Alavar, Litlit Macrohon, Khymer Olaso, Lilibeth Nuño, Cary John Pioc, VP Elago, Gerky Valesco and Jerry Perez.
Dela Cruz and the younger Dalipe ran under Climaco’s political party, but eventually broke off ties after winning the 2019 polls. There were reports that Lobregat will again run for mayor and also the elder Dalipe with his brother possibly gunning for a congressional seat or vice versa.
Climaco said the actions of the Lobregat and Dalipe allies in the City Council have affected some 17,000 senior citizens and all 400 “Vida lifeliners,” including women and those who are out-of-school and mostly breadwinners of their families, who were tapped to tirelessly deliver health assistance door-to-door to every elderly beneficiaries of the Largo Vida. It is only during the time of Climaco that such programs and social services benefitted thousands of senior citizens and the vulnerable sector. (Zamboanga Post)
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