By CESAR JOLITO III
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has unanimously approved a resolution urging the increase in the monthly allowance of senior citizen and persons with disability (PWD) association presidents, recognizing their expanding role in community-level governance and social service delivery.
The resolution calls on the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), and the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), through Mayor Greg Gasataya, to raise the allowance of association presidents from P500 to P1,000 a month.
Authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairperson of the committee on PWD affairs, and Councilor Celia Flor, chairperson of the SP committee on senior citizens, the measure underscores the vital contribution of barangay-based leaders in bridging city programs with sectoral members on the ground.
Distrito said senior citizen and PWD association presidents serve as frontliners who coordinate activities, assist members with documentation and concerns, attend official meetings, and relay government information — often spending out of pocket to fulfill their responsibilities.
Records cited in the resolution show that Bacolod has 74 senior citizen association presidents and 42 PWD association presidents who act as primary coordinators and representatives of their sectors at both barangay and city levels.
Flor noted that the proposed increase is timely amid rising transportation costs and prices of basic goods, adding that the current allowance is largely consumed by expenses incurred during meetings, orientations, consultations, and other official activities initiated by OSCA, PDAO, DSSD, and related offices.
The SP emphasized that increasing the allowance would help sustain the participation of association leaders, strengthen community-based leadership, and improve coordination between the city government and senior citizen and PWD organizations — ultimately enhancing the delivery of social services across Bacolod./CJ, WDJ