By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, Aug. 20 (PNA) – A Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee witness claimed on Thursday that the Makati City government lost PhP367 million every year to alleged ghost senior citizen beneficiaries.
Arthur Cruto, head of the Makati Action Center formed by acting Makati City Mayor Romulo “Kid” Pena, told the resumption of the Senate hearings on Makati City’s alleged overpriced buildings that the amount was part of the PhP799 million allotted for the Senior Citizen Program of the city.
Cruto said that based on their investigation, 45 to 52 percent of the names of the senior citizens under the program cannot be located from the list of the Makati Social Welfare and Development (MSWD).
”This is just our initial findings,” Cruto told the Senate panel
Cruto also showed a list of the already dead beneficiaries but are still getting their benefits from the program initiated by former Makati City Mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Under the Senior Citizen Program of Makati, qualified beneficiaries have a Blu Card that entitled them to benefits worth PhP11,750. It includes PhP3,000 cash gift, birthday cake worth PhP300, Christmas groceries (PhP1,500), PhP6,500 worth of free maintenance medicines and free movies (PhP350).
Cruto said the city has PhP799 million budget for 68,000 senior citizens ever year but only 36,720 Blu Card holders have been receiving the benefits.
”Based on the initial audit, there are only 36,720 senior citizens qualified and so PhP367.7 million is missing,” Cruto said.
The camp of Binay refuted the allegations of ghost beneficiaries, challenging Cruto to file an affidavit outside the Senate to prove his claim.
“Makati senior citizens personally apply and submit documents before they are enrolled. They go through verification. Benefits are received personally. The Social Welfare Department has a system to delist deceased beneficiaries,” Joey Salgado, media affairs chief of the Office of the Vice President, said.
“Assuming without conceding the existence of fake beneficiaries, where is the evidence to show any link to the Vice President? None, because this is another tall tale,” he added.
Salgado clarified that senior citizens who have moved to other localities but who are registered voters of Makati remain beneficiaries.
“Mr. [Arthur] Cruto had no objection to this when his mother was living in Cavite but remained a senior citizen beneficiary,” he said.
The Vice President’s spokesperson also branded witness Cruto’s testimony as “demolition by Powerpoint” as he dared Cruto to execute an affidavit outside the Senate sans immunity.
Meanwhile, the Senate panel approved the motion of committee chairman Sen. Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimmentel III to extend the search for Gerry Limlingan, the alleged bagman and dummy of Vice President Binay.
Due to failure of the Senate sergeant-at-arms to arrest Limlingan, Pimentel also asked the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the people in finding the controversial aide of Binay.
The Senate Blue Ribbon sub-panel will continue its investigation on Wednesday next week. (PNA)