The Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) migrates from having a manual to a digital database, under direct instructions from Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan to provide more efficient distribution of benefits and overall better service to senior citizens.
As of date, 66,034 senior citizens have registered in OSCA’s online database, this composes 39.54% of the city’s total census of 167,000 previously-registered seniors.
According to OSCA Officer-in-charge Ms. Marilyn De Jesus, the aim of the said digitalization is to organize and clean the existing database which is being used since 2014. With this, those who have already passed away transferred permanently to another city or those with double entries can be removed from the said list.
Mayor Along Malapitan emphasized the need to focus on programs for senior citizens, giving them more advantages aside from their mandated benefits. He likewise encouraged senior citizens to be proactive and register to receive their benefits with ease.
“Tulad po ng lagi nating sinasabi, mahalaga para sa atin ang mga senior citizens at dapat pong maramdaman nila ito sa mga programa ng pamahalaan. Kaya naman hinihikayat ko po kayo, mga lolo at lola, magparehistro po kayo para mas mabilis niyong matanggap ang inyong mga benepisyo,” he said.
The said registration can be accessed through this link: bit.ly/CaloocanSenior. OSCA also partnered with all 188 Barangays of the city to speed up the process and assist senior citizens during the registration.
During this week’s flag-raising ceremony, Mayor Malapitan called on the City Council to pass the ordinance granting a P500 cash gift for senior citizens on top of their birthday package.
“Sa ating konseho, sana’y maipasa na po natin ang ordinansa para sa cash gift ng ating senior citizens. Sa oras na malinis natin ang database, agad tayong magsisimula ng distribusyon,” the Mayor said.
Aside from the stated benefits, senior citizens in Caloocan also have access to free wheelchairs, cane, and crutches as well as medical and laboratory assistance. Furthermore, the centenarians also receive cash gifts and recognition in addition to the P100,000 provided in R.A. 10868.