Batac mayor rejects seniors’ death, burial assistance ordinance

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—The Sangguniang Panlungsod-approved death and burial assistance ordinance was disapproved by Batac Mayor Jeffrey Jubal C. Nalupta.

Batac Vice Mayor and council presiding officer Ronald Allan M. Nalupta expressed surprise to the disapproval.

The ordinance, officially tabbed as City Ordinance No. 3, SP 2015-o1 was supposed to grant a P3,000 death and burial assistance to this city’s qualified senior citizens.

“Maladingitan tayo appo ngem isu met iti desisyon ni apo mayor tayo a saan nga agtuloy daytoy,” the vice mayor said.

Mr. Nalupta related that the measure was formulated during last year’s Christmas program for senior citizens in the city. It was during this occasion, he said, when Mayor Nalupta stressed that the existing P1,000 death and burial assistance for senior citizens is “too small.” The mayor then requested the council to amend the ordinance.

The main author of the amended ordinance is Batac councilor Avelard Ibarra Crisostomo with the vice mayor and ex-officio member Batac Liga ng mga Barangay president Johann Emmanuel “Jack” C. Nalupta as one of the co-authors

The ordinance was unanimously approved by members of the council.

Vice Mayor Nalupta stressed that the council would not have passed the said ordinance if the mayor had not requested it.

The Ilocos Times tried to get the reaction of Mayor Nalupta but he was out of the country as of press time.

In its notice of disapproval the mayor listed the following reasons:

1. Consideration is 200% increase which is staggering. Did you have actual/historical date of number of deaths 60 years and above in the last 3 years?

2. You completely changed definition of a “qualified senior citizen” vis-à-vis Ordinance NO. 16 s. 2006 which is to include all regardless of economic status.

3. Main body of Ordinance #16 s.2006 copied almost the letter. You could just have amended the amount. Where is difference to original sponsors?

4. Better give to the living than to the dead.

Meanwhile, Batac councilor Florencio Laud who also approved the ordinance said that the original ordinance should only been amended but it was totally changed.

The question according to Mr. Laud was the phrase “qualified senior citizens” wherein the words in the first ordinance means senior citizens must be indigents only but the new ordinance now states that regardless of their economic status the assistance will be granted.

The councilor then added that it would be up to the mayor if the measure would be changed or re-entered.

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