ILOILO City – Everyday the city government’s Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) sends three to four staff to hospitals and barangays to conduct identification card registration processing.
“The government must find more ways to help senior citizens, especially those with health crisis,” said Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
He was referring to the incapable, bedridden and hospitalized senior citizens, and even those in jail.
With their OSCA identification cards and purchase booklets, the city’s senior citizens could avail themselves of the privileges designed for the country’s elderly.
“They use medical care facilities more often and their IDs and booklets are very useful. But still, some of them don’t have these. We should reach out to those who can’t come to the OSCA for registration,” said Espinosa.
OSCAR personnel take photos and thumb marks of the hospitalized senior citizens, help them fill out forms and deliver the identification cards after these are processed.
Senior citizens’ privileges include:
* free medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services in all government facilities
* 20 percent discount on medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services in private facilities
* 20 percent discount for medicines, in hotels, restaurants, recreation centers
* 20 percent discount for domestic air, sea and public transportation
* five percent discount for basic and prime commodities on limited items
* five percent discount in the utilization of water and electricity provided that consumption is under the name of the senior citizen. (Iloilo City PIO/PN)
