SOME 77,685 senior citizens of Makati City with BLU Cards have started receiving their midyear cash gift on June 1, the Elderly Welfare Section of the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD) said.
Last December City Ordinance 2016-A-043 has granted an additional P1,000 to the annual cash gift of the BLU Card holders. BLU Card holders aged 60 to 69 now receive an annual cash gift of P3,000 each; 70 to 79 years old, P4,000; and 80 and above, P5,000.
The annual cash gift for all age groups is given in two equal installments every June and December. Thus, the first age group will receive P1,500; the second group, P2,000; and the third group, P2,500 this June.
For 2017 the city has allocated P326 million for the cash gift and centenarian incentive under the BLU Card program.
The distribution of the cash gift on June 1, Thursday, will be held in barangays Bel-Air, Kasilawan, San Isidro and Santa Cruz at their respective barangay halls, and in barangays La Paz and Valenzuela at their respective covered courts.
On June 2 and 3, cash-gift distribution will be done at the barangay hall of Barangay Rizal and at the covered court of Barangay West Rembo.
On June 5 and 6, beneficiaries from barangays Poblacion and San Lorenzo can get their cash gifts at their respective covered courts.
On June 7 and 8, the cash-gift distribution will take place at the covered court of Barangay Olympia. On June 7 only, distribution will be done at the barangay hall of Guadalupe Viejo. Beneficiaries of Barangay South Cembo can claim their cash gift at their covered court on June 8 only.
On June 9 distribution will be done at the barangay hall of Pinagkaisahan. For Pio del Pilar, distribution will be on June 9 (covered court) and June 10 (San Isidro National High School). On June 10 only, BLU Card holders of Barangay Southside can get their cash gift at their barangay hall.
On June 13 and 14, cash-gift distribution will take place at the covered court of Barangay East Rembo, and at the Elderly Health- Care Office at H. Santos Street for beneficiaries from Barangay Tejeros.
The distribution of cash gift on June 15 will be done at the barangay halls of Pitogo, Singkamas and Carmona.
On June 16 and 17, cash-gift distribution will be done at the covered court of Barangay Pembo and at the barangay hall of Bangkal.
On June 19 and 20, the distribution will resume in Barangays Palanan (covered court) and Cembo (barangay hall). On June 20 only, BLU Card holders from Barangay Northside can get their cash gift at the Makati City Hall Building II.
On June 21 and 22, cash-gift distribution will take place at the covered courts of barangays Guadalupe Nuevo and San Antonio. On June 22 only, the distribution will be done at the covered court of Barangay Comembo.
On June 23 BLU Card holders from barangays Urdaneta, Forbes Park, Magallanes and Dasmariñas can claim their cash gift at their respective barangay halls.
In claiming the cash gift, beneficiaries who are unable to come in person can send their duly-authorized representative, whose name appears at the back of the BLU Card, to the Cash Division at the third floor of Makati City Hall. The representative should be able to present a medical certificate as proof of the beneficiaries’ condition, whether bedridden, disabled or confined in a hospital.
Authorization forms are available at the MSWD office at the fifth floor of Makati City Hall.
Senior citizens who are out-of-town or abroad during the distribution of the cash gifts are not entitled to claim the benefit, and authorization presented by a representative will not be honored by the Cash Division.