'Cong' Beng slams opposition anew

MAYOR BENG Climaco has slammed the opposition anew and told allies of former lawmaker Celso Lobregat and Congressman Mannix Dalipe not to play politics with the lives of the Zamboanguenos, especially this time of the health crisis.

“When majority of the members of the City Council resolutely removed vital appropriations (for) Largo Vida, it pains us to see senior citizens pleading for the revival of this program which could have benefited them, their low income families, and their disadvantaged communities especially at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Let us not play politics with people’s lives,” said Climaco, who is running for congresswoman in District 1.

The mayor said the Largo Vida was trashed by councilors allied with Lobregat and Dalipe after they collectively agreed to reject the pro-poor program.

Climaco identified the opposition councilors as Monsi dela Cruz, who is now deceased; John Dalipe, BG Guingona, Mike Alavar, Litlit Macrohon, Khymer Olaso, Lilibeth Nuño, Cary John Pioc, VP Elago 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 only to split again with the group and joined his elder brother’s Team Dalipe.

Families of senior citizens and those who benefitted from the Largo Vida vowed to campaign and vote for Team Climaco to ensure that the pro-poor program continues.

“As we continue to take care of the elderly, the Largo Vida program as an LGU-lead strategy aims to bring our health services closer to our senior citizens. Through the LGU funds allotted for this program, it minimizes the economic burden and reduces out-of-pocket expenditures of the senior citizens. Also, this is an add-on support of the LGU to the supplies given by DOH as part of the contingency action of the city government to ensure no stock-out and continuous provision of maintenance medications,” she explained.

Climaco said the program - her brainchild and the first in Zamboanga - served and distributed medications to almost 17,000 senior citizens in 74 out of the 98 barangays. “With the maintenance medications already provided for by the LGU, it provided financial relief to our senior citizens from having to set aside funds for buying their maintenance medications. A senior citizen can save up to P2,500 a month being a beneficiary of the Largo Vida program,” she said.

She said aside from the support to the senior citizens, the Largo Vida program also gave job opportunities to more than 360 people working as “lifeliners” who painstakingly distributed medicines daily to senior citizens.

The Largo Vida has now become a big political issue as senior citizens and the vulnerable sectors in the community who largely benefit from it, recalled the “great loss” of their benefits after opposition councilors “killed” the program.

Senior citizens and the poor could have received more benefits had not the opposition councilors trashed the Largo Vida program. Beneficiaries of the Largo Vida blamed opposition councilors for trashing the assistance intended for senior citizens and the disadvantaged sectors of the community.

The opposition councilors removed the Largo Vida program’s vital funding in the P4.38 billion 2021 Executive Budget which the mayor intended to expand to over 60,000 beneficiaries this year.

Zamboanga City also pioneered the cash assistance for senior citizens and people with disabilities (PWDs) even without the impetus of a national law by creating a local legislation to make it happen, according to Climaco, adding that her administration has worked to enhance the access on employment for PWDs. 

“For people with disabilities, they continue to receive financial assistance amounting to P1,000 to augment their basic and urgent necessities. The objectives of this unique and inclusive senior citizens and PWDs’ friendly program aim to provide duty of care for its elderly and PWD members through programs of social security; honoring our senior citizens and PWDs for their great contribution to the city; and augment their resources to meet their immediate health and economic needs and giving them the freedom to decide and manage the assistance and the opportunity to enjoy their privileges,” she said. 

Climaco said a total of 30,880 senior citizens benefitted through this program. “We also established a grievance redress mechanism, monitoring and compliance both for senior citizens and PWDs to ensure that our policies and programs are observed even by private entities. These unique modalities can be modelled, replicated and shared as best practice to other LGUs in the entire country,” she said. 

The mayor said with the social services sector continuously getting the largest bulk of the annual budget of the local government the past 8 years, it clearly reflects her administration’s commitment to deliver her promise to serve the people. 

Social protection has been a consistent priority of the local government which, given the limited fiscal space, have reprioritized the budget to focus on preserving lives and livelihoods while facilitating economic recovery especially in this unprecedented time of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Climaco. 

Zamboanga’s economic growth has translated to real and tangible benefits most especially for the poor and vulnerable sectors of the society. “From 2014 to 2021, we have allocated more than P11.9 billion for the social services sector which includes the S.H.E. (Security, Health and Education) programs or an equivalent of 105% increase in allocation. Under the social services program of the CSWDO alone, we have allocated a total of P1.84 billion or an increase of 813.86% compared to the Lobregat administration’s nine year term combined,” the mayor said. 

Climaco also thanked the people for continuing to rally behind her administration and for supporting her many pro-poor programs. (Zamboanga Post)