Cebu City’s PWDs Get Cash Aid

“We are very thankful to the Cebu City Government especially to Mayor Michael Rama because the financial assistance is really of great help to us persons with disabilities (PWDs) to buy medicines and our other needs,” said Lilian Sanopao, 50, a native of Barangay Labangon this city, who was among the PWDs who already received their financial assistance this morning October 29, 2015 Thursday.

In an interview with the BARUGG News, Lilian who became a PWD due to a polio since she was 2 years old also urged her fellow PWDs to be actively involve.

She further said, “Kasagaran sa mga PWD ilang behavior manago, karon dili na gyod angay mauwaw labi na nga dunay mga programa ang gobiyerno para namo sama sa financial assistance, ug discount privilege sama sa Senior Citizens ug uban pa.”

The city government here provides P5,000 financial assistance annually to all PWDs from the 80 Barangays comprising the city. The third tranche of distribution amounting to P1,000 each is held today in their respective barangays. The remaining P2,000 balance is set to be distributed before Christmas this year.

The city has at least 10,111 qualified and registered PWDs, of which 4,599 are coming from the 46 barangays in the North District and 5,512 are from the city’s 34 South District barangays.

Meanwhile, the financial assistance were given equally regardless of the social status of the PWD. The city is also using the Listahanan database of the Department of Social Welfare and Development or DSWD. In the first round of household assessment, at least 449 PWDs of the city were identified as poor among the beneficiaries.

Listahanan is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor households are in the country. It aims for the government and civil society to establish objective targeting system on the social protection programs and services to the poor.

Lucia Mahusay assistant head of the Department of Social Welfare and Services or DSWS shared to the BARUGG News that the distribution went well and was successfully conducted.

She said that disbursing officers who are employees from the different departments of the city personally handed the cash aid to the houses of the bedridden beneficiaries.

The city will provide 15-working days for the beneficiaries who were not able to get their cash aid today to get it in the Cash Disbursement Division of the City Treasurer’s Office in Cebu City Hall.

Furthermore, aside from the financial assistance the city also provides other benefits for the PWDs such as medical assistance, livelihood and skills training and even job opportunities through the PWD Job Fair, among several others. (Cebu City Public Information Office PIO/Greggy Jiggs P. Senados)