CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro – Irate senior citizens stormed the City Hall here and disrupted a meeting of senior citizen presidents from various barangays to protest the holding of their pensions and the alleged intervention of city officials in creating a break away federation.

Senior citizens from the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of Calapan City (FESCACC) led by its president Imelda Dacillo disrupted the meeting between the DSWD, Calapan City Social Welfare and Development, DILG and senior citizen presidents on January 17. Dacillo’s group who brought with them placards aired their grievances not only on the issue of delay of their social pension and benefits’ release but the formation of another senior citizen’s federation called USCACOM Inc.

Dacillo’s group has been accusing Mayor Malou Flores Morillo of instigating the formation of this break away faction.

City officials, however, kept their cool and allowed Dacillo’s group to talk with City Administrator Atty. Reymund Al Ussam, CSWD Officer Juvy Bahia, DWSD Provincial Officer Severina Boonggaling and DILG City Director Ivan Stephen Fadri in the spirit of their right to free expression and as a form of respect being elders.

Answering Dacillo’s allegations, DWSD Provincial Officer Severina Boonggaling denied holding or delaying the release of senior citizen’s social pension owing to the lack of a disbursing officer during the January-December 2022 pension pay-out.

CSWD Officer Juvy Bahia added, the funding for last year’s pay-out was recently downloaded on the computer on December 29, 2022 and had to undergo a lengthy processing of validation before it will be distributed to qualified pensioners. Bahia defended the city government that it had nothing to do with the delay nor the intention to delay it.

Even on the issue why some of the names did not appear in the COE of social pension, the DSWD said it is not the city government’s mandate but of the DSWD to validate the list of qualified social pensioners as well as those disqualified to be removed from the list.

 DILG City Director Ivan Stephen Fadri answering allegations that the city has no right to be involved or intervene in the pay-out distribution said, the DILG assigns to the local government units the supervision and assistance in the data gathering of its senior citizens owing to its supervisory powers, resources, and manpower.

On the allegation that Mayor Morillo created a second senior citizens federation, City DILG City Director Fadri said that the law grants a municipality or city the freedom to organize even more than two senior citizens’ organization and grants any member the freedom to choose membership in any organization. He added, even if the senior citizen refuses to join a group, he or she is still entitled to the benefits granted by law to a senior citizen.

It was also learned that a feud between the officers and members of FESCACC has been brewing one year before Mayor Morillo assumed her office. This resulted to the creation of a break away faction called USCACOM Inc.

The feud only shows that Mayor Morillo had nothing to do with the creation of another senior citizen’s federation.

 City Administrator Atty. Reymund Al Ussam also denied that senior citizens were stripped off their privilege of using the city government’s facilities saying never was there any instance of such refusal. 

Mayor Morillo who was not present during the confrontation was said to be willing to peacefully meet with the officers and members of the Dacillo-led FESCACC. (Giovanni A. Flaviano)