Makati auditing 19 more barangays for 'ghost' senior citizens

MANILA, Philippines – The Makati city government said it will audit the 19 more barangays for possible “ghost” senior citizens, Makati Action Center (MAC) officer-in-charge (OIC) Arthur Cruto assured on Monday, August 24.

Cruto is heading a special task force authorized by acting Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña Jr to audit the city’s Blu Card program for the elderly. They said 12 of the 33 barangays have been audited for the benefit program for senior citizens.

Beneficiaries receive an estimated P11,750 worth of benefits every year, including cash gifts, grocery items for Christmas, and free maintenance medicine, birthday cakes, and movies at any city theater. To qualify, one should be a bonafide Makati resident, at least 60 years old, and a registered voter.

The Blu Card program first became the subject of controversy when suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr and his father, former Makati mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay, were accused of overpricing the cakes for senior citizens. (READ: Makati names Goldilocks as new supplier of birthday cakes)

On August 20, Cruto testified before the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee that the “initial findings” of the audit in barangays Kasilawan and Pinagkaisahan, the two smallest barangays in Makati, showed that 40% to 52% of the elderly-beneficiaries are not on the Commission on Election’s voters’ list and in the place of residence they indicated in official government documents.

While he only presented data from the two barangays, Cruto said their findings from the 12 others they have surveyed so far show a “common trend.” The Makati city government is allegedly losing an estimated P367.5 million a year because of “ghost” Blu Card program beneficiaries.

The MAC task force has surveyed the following barangays: Carmona, Kasilawan, Olympia, San Antonio, San Isidro, Singkamas, Santa Cruz, and Tejeros in District 1, and Cembo, South Cembo, Guadalupe Viejo, Pinagkaisahan, Pitogo, and West Rembo in District 2.

Cruto said they will continue auditing the remaining 19 barangays in Makati through cross-checking official documents from the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD) with City Civil Registry Office records, and by conducting house-to-house interviews to check if listed senior citizens are truly qualified as Blu Card holders.

“Wala kaming gustong makita kundi ang data,” he said. (We only want to see the data.)

Initial findings ‘disturbing’

In a statement sent to reporters on August 21, Peña promised to continue auditing the Blu Card program as well.

“The initial findings are disturbing. They indicate a potentially serious anomaly in the implementation of the Blu Card program that may turn out to be grossly disadvantageous to legitimate senior citizens of Makati,” he said.

“Once we have completed the process, we will be able to come up with more conclusive findings backed by specific and accurate data that will show the full extent of the anomaly,” Peña added.

The MAC task force plans to finish the audit for the following Makati barangays by the year-end:

Barangay	District	Population (as of May 1, 2010)
Bangkal	District 1	23,378
Bel-Air	District 1	18,280
Carmona	District 1	3,096
Dasmariñas	District 1	5,654
Forbes Park	District 1	2,533
La Paz	District 1	7,931
Magallanes	District 1	5,576
Palanan	District 1	17,283
Pio del Pilar	District 1	27,035
Poblacion	District 1	17,120
Urdaneta	District 1	3,717
Valenzuela	District 1	7,261
Comembo	District 2	14,433
East Rembo	District 2	26,433
Guadalupe Nuevo	District 2	18,271
Pembo	District 2	44,803
Rizal	District 2	41,959
Post Proper Northside	District 2	6,010
Post Proper Southside	District 2	45,310

Source: National Statistics Office

“We assure our residents that we will not tolerate alleged fraudulent practices that deprive our senior citizens of the full benefits that the city government can afford to give them,” said Peña.

Long-term benefits

However, former OIC and current assistant department head of MSWD Ryan Barcelo said the findings presented before senators were based on a “flawed and questionable auditing procedure.”

Barcelo said that Cruto’s team did not conduct house-to-house interviews properly because they “simply went to the house of a senior citizen, asked if the senior citizen was there, and if told the senior citizen was not around, simply put an ‘X’ across the name of the person.”

Joey Salgado, media affairs head of the Vice President, slammed Cruto’s testimony as well, calling it a “demolition through PowerPoint.”

However, Cruto defended his team, saying, “I would like to disagree [to the criticism] na hindi tama ‘yung aming proseso (I would like to disagree to the criticism that we did not follow the right process).”

Contrary to Barcelo’s claims, Cruto said task force members not only spoke to the senior citizens but they also interviewed the elderly’s relatives and neighbors to ask if the senior citizen is alive, a registered voter, and is a resident of Makati when the elderly is not present at home at the time of the house visit.

“Meron kaming mga notes na kapag wala roon [sa bahay], sinasabi nasa palengke, nasa probinsya, umalis lang, hindi namin kinoconsider ‘yun as [hindi na residente ng Makati],” Cruto added.

(We have notes to prove that when we are told that the senior citizen is not at home because he or she is in the market or in the province, we didn’t immediately consider the senior citizen as no longer a resident of Makati.)

Cruto added that the ongoing audit will benefit Makati in the long run, for it will expose weaknesses in the city government’s current systems and help officials devise ways to amend them.

“Kaya nga natin ito ginagawa (This is why we were doing the audit),” he said. – Rappler.com

Makati auditing 19 more barangays for ‘ghost’ senior citizens

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