Heal the Sick, Feed the Hungry: Zambo's poor get aid

SOME 250 cobblers or shoemakers and balut or duck egg vendors, including senior citizens, were the latest beneficiaries of the Climaco administration’s “Heal the Sick and Feed the Hungry” program.

Mayor Beng Climaco hands out cash aid to senior citizens. (Bong Serondo)

 

Cobblers and balut vendors receive rice supply from the Climaco administration. 

Also dubbed as “Curada y Comida,” Mayor Beng Climaco said the recipients of the program received two bags of rice each from the City Social Welfare and Development Office under Socorro Rojas. 

“The City Government aggressively pursues its thrust to ‘Heal the Sick and Feed the Hungry’ as Zamboanga City continues to face dangers from the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said, adding, the food aid is part government’s efforts to help alleviate their plight of those affected by the health crisis. 

“Hand-in-hand with the provision of food, we are also intensifying the implementation of the Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat, and Reintegrate strategy to slow down the spread of Covid-19 and mitigate its effects which is central to the National Action Plan towards the new normal,” the mayor added. 

Aside from the food aid, Climaco also joined Rojas in the distribution of cash aid to 75 senior citizens who are octogenarians and nonagenarians. The granting of incentives is pursuant to a local ordinance and one of the numerous benefit packages for senior citizens unveiled only during the administration of the mayor. 

The beneficiaries of the cash aid and their families thanked Climaco and the local government for the incentives. 

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD) and the City Treasurer’s Office facilitated the distribution of the incentives in coordination with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), the Federation of Senior Citizens Association. 

Climaco said the cash incentives is just one of the numerous benefit packages her administration has for senior citizens. She said the cash incentive will ensure that senior citizens will have funds to buy basic necessities such as medicines. 

The mayor also spoke with the beneficiaries and assured them of her administration’s support and various benevolent programs for the elderly sector. 

Nonagenarians or those whose ages are from 90-99 years received P20,000 each, and P10,000 each was also given to octogenarians who are 80-89 years old. Centenarians or those 100 years old or more will also receive P50,000. 

Discontinued 

Senior citizens could have received more had not the opposition councilors trashed the Vida programs of the Climaco administration. Beneficiaries of the Vida programs blamed opposition councilors for “killing” the assistance intended for senior citizens and the disadvantaged sector of the community.

The opposition councilors, who are allies of former Congressman Celso Lobregat and incumbent Congressman Mannix Dalipe, removed the Vida program’s vital funding in the P4.38 billion 2021 Executive Budget. One such program is the Largo Vida, an initiative that Climaco started in 2018 and which she had intended to expand to over 60,000 beneficiaries this year. 

Climaco identified the opposition councilors as Monsi dela Cruz, who is now dead; 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 and aligned themselves with Lobregat’s Team Colorao. Climaco defeated Lobregat in the election after winning a landslide victory over the veteran politician.

Climaco vowed to provide more assistance to tens of thousands of beneficiaries of her various pro-poor Vida programs, especially the elderly and the poor, and the disadvantage sector, including people with disabilities, among others.

The mayor said the Vida programs really aimed to create a more lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of all its beneficiaries. “We need to empower our people and create a more lasting and meaningful impact on their lives, their families and communities. Deseo de atun todo dale mas largo y buen vida na de atun maga abuelo y abuela na Ciudad de Zamboanga,” she said. 

“It is with deep regret that the (opposition) majority of the members of the City Council resolutely removed vital appropriations in the FY (Fiscal Year) 2021 Executive Budget of the City Government of Zamboanga. Very important social services programs such as the Largo Vida, Salva Vida and Cuida Vida, which could have benefited senior citizens, low income families, disadvantaged communities, marginalized sectors, most affected families of the Covid-19 pandemic and other vulnerable members of society, were unfoundedly scrapped,” she added. 

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. 

“These (Vida) programs were carefully planned by the Executive Department to be sustainable and to introduce a trailblazing brand of service to our constituents that is projected to have a significant impact in the lives of the target beneficiaries. These programs cannot be replaced by mere dole-outs and cash donations that were not studied and haphazardly thought-out. Those (opposition council) members who voted to remove funding for such vital programs must face the people of Zamboanga City and must be held responsible and accountable for such irrepressible action,” she said. 

“It is not just cash that is needed, we need a more comprehensive program that will genuinely and sustainably empower our people through medicines, access to critical social services and livelihood to make our people resilient and survive the day to day challenges while we are under a pandemic. Necesita kita dale servicio de calidad because our people deserve only the best,” the mayor added. 

It is only during the time of Climaco that such programs and social services benefitted thousands of senior citizens and the vulnerable sector. “It is only during our administration that we were able to introduce a wide-range of social services to our senior citizens – birthday cash incentives, free maintenance medicines, free movie screening and other key forms of assistance.”

“We intend to expand these to a more comprehensive package, not only for our senior citizens, but also social packages for other vulnerable sectors especially for our society’s patriarchs and matriarchs, PWDs (persons with disabilities) and other vulnerable sectors, the marginalized, low-income families in disadvantaged rural and urban communities and most affected families of the Covid-19 pandemic, who are in need of these social protection programs, now more than ever,” Climaco said. (Zamboanga Post)