• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has unanimously approved a resolution urging an increase in the monthly allowance for the city’s Senior Citizen and PWD Association Presidents, raising the stipend from P500 to P1,000.
The measure, co-authored by Councilors Atty. Caesar Distrito and Celia Matea Flor, cite the rising costs of transportation and commodities as the primary drivers for the hike.
In a media interview, Distrito said Bacolod currently supports 74 Senior Citizen and 42 PWD Association Presidents who serve as community-level frontliners.
He said that these leaders are responsible for coordinating government programs, documentation, and information dissemination across the city’s 61 barangays.
Distrito emphasized that the increase recognizes the essential role the leaders play in delivering social services, often using personal funds to attend official city consultations.
The councilor said that the added financial support is critical to sustaining active community-based leadership and ensuring inclusive governance for the city’s vulnerable sectors.*
