QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has turned over P129.1 million to the 142 barangays of the city’s six districts as their share of real property taxes for the second quarter of 2017.
He tasked the Barangay Operations Center to coordinate with the treasurer’s office, headed by Ruby Guevarra, in the distribution of the real-estate tax share.
District 1 got P7.6 million; District 2, P9.4 million; District 3, P18.2 million; District 4, P26.8 million; District 5, P31.9 million, and District 6, P35.2 million.
Among the barangays with the highest share were Socorro with P987,629.18, Bagumbayan with P914,691.10, and Pasong Putik with P862,607.82.
Under the Local Government Code of 1991’s Section 271, 30 percent of the proceeds from the basic real-property tax of the city within the Metro Manila shall be distributed to the barangays.
The barangays will use the tax share to fund infrastructure improvement, local development and livelihood projects.
Meanwhile, the Quezon City Council has passed an ordinance granting a P5,000 emergency medical assistance for elderly residents admitted in hospitals owned by the city government.
Also known as the “Quezon City Emergency Medical Benefit Assistance for Senior Citizens,” City Ordinance 2598-2017 authored by Councilor Rogelio P. Juan aims to provide financial relief to our senior citizens and to their families who are already burdened emotionally and economically of the medical condition of their elderly.
Funding for the assistance will be taken from the one percent budget allocation for the programs, projects, and activities for city’s senior citizens.
“Despite the free medical services which are presently provided for our government facilities and hospitals by the provisions of R.A. No. 9994, however, there remain hospital services and medical necessities of our senior citizens that are not covered by the provisions of R.A. No. 9994, such as ‘stat medicines’ or those immediate medicines given in emergency cases to stabilize the condition of a patient, as well as emergency medical supplies and services.
“In fact, there are some emergency cases that are still not attended to by the hospitals because of the incapacity of the patient to pay for the said medicines, as well as immediate medical supplies and emergency services,” the ordinance read.
This grant for senior citizens is anchored on Republic Act No. 9994 or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” wherein the City government is mandated to adopt measures whereby senior citizens should be assisted and appreciated by the community and to establish a program beneficial to the senior citizens.
“Regardless of the number of times of admission or the kind of assistance (whether in medicine or service) provided, the Emergency Medical Benefit Assistance of not more than P5,000 can be availed of by a qualified senior citizen patient per year, without renewal in the same year in case the amount provided has been consumed,” section 5 of the ordinance read.
Moreover, the amount shall be solely and exclusively utilized by the concerned hospital for emergency or stat medicines of any kind; laboratory tests and pathological examinations; x-ray examinations (from head to toe); electrocardiogram (ECG); ultrasound; 2D echo, and; other general medical services.
To avail of this benefit, a qualified senior must present his or her identification card issued by the Quezon City Office to the Senior Citizens Affairs upon admission at a city-owned hospital.
The Quezon City government operates Quezon City General Hospital and the Novaliches District Hospital.