By: Jaimie Rose R. Aberia
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has ordered the thorough documentation of senior citizens in the city to account for thousands more who are not yet registered with the city’s Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).
Estrada said he wants all elderly in Manila registered with OSCA so they will be able to enjoy the benefits the city government is offering such as free hospitalization, maintenance medicines, and cash gifts.
OSCA officer-in-charge Jeff Manansala said they have started searching for undocumented senior citizens, including the homeless, in each of the city’s 896 barangays in close coordination with the barangay officials.
“Most of these senior citizens do not know how to register at the city hall, or they are having difficulty going to the city hall, that’s why we are the ones going to the communities, to assist them,” Manansala said.
Qualified senior citizens will be issued official OSCA and Senior Citizen identification cards that they can use in their everyday transactions and in availing the services and programs of the city government, Manansala said.
There are over 132,000 senior citizens registered with OSCA, he added.
