BONTOC, Mountain Province – Indigent residents may now avail of social and burial assistance from the local government unit.
Social Welfare Officer III Stephanie Kanongkong of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) said the national government through the Department of Budget and Management downloaded to the LGU P5 million for assistance to indigent individuals and another P5M for burial assistance.
The assistance to indigent individuals covers medical, transportation, food, and cash assistance for other support services.
The medical assistance includes hospitalization or hospital bill amounting to P5,000; P5,000 for medicine (outpatient); P5,000 for laboratory (outpatient); and P25,000 for one-time dialysis and cancer patients to include those who are still undergoing chemo and/ or radiation, heart patient, and those who will undergo major surgery.
Those who will avail of the program must submit the requirements that include medical certificate with the signature and license number of the attending physician issued not later than three months, barangay certificate of residency, voter’s certificate from the Commission on Elections, photocopy of any valid ID or government-issued ID, social study case report from the MSWDO, latest statement of account or receipt of paid hospital bill (if admitted in the hospital), receipts of purchased medicines (for outpatient), laboratory requests/charge slip/official receipt of paid laboratory fee (for the laboratory-out patient), and treatment protocol for chemotherapy/radiation therapy (for dialysis and cancer patients).
For the transportation assistance, the LGU will refund the actual cost, based on the ticket quotation.
The food assistance is subject to assessment and a maximum of 10 days amounting to P150 per individual.
The cash assistance to other support services covers assistance to fire, flood, and slide victims amounting to P25,000 for the house owner and P8,000 to P10,000 for boarders.
The assistance to a person with disability will be given in cash based on the type of equipment to be purchased but not to exceed P50,000.
Under the burial assistance to indigent individuals, the maximum amount that may be availed of is P25, 000 while the transfer of cadaver is P5,000.
Residents may visit the MSWDO located on the First Floor, Left Wing of the Bontoc Municipal Capitol for inquiries on how to avail of the assistance. – Alpine L. Killa-Malwagay
