THE Makati city government yesterday resumed the free movie privileges for its more than 82,000 senior citizens after it was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Makati Mayor Abigail Binay led the relaunch of the program for the 82,617 senior citizens in the city who are Blu card members and Makatizen Virtual Card holders at the Glorietta 4.
“The past years have been challenging for everyone, particularly our senior citizens who were among the most vulnerable during the health crisis. By reinstating this initiative, we aim to provide them with a much-needed avenue for entertainment, joy, and social engagement,” Binay said.
With the program’s revival, Binay said the elderly can now watch movies again for free at Glorietta, Greenbelt, and Circuit Makati three times a day for the first and second screenings.
She added that Makati senior citizens only need to download their Makatizen Virtual Card at https://mymakatizencard.ph/virtualcard and have their Makatizen Virtual Card QR codes scanned by cinema partners to avail of the free movie tickets.
Binay also disclosed that the city government is also looking at including persons with disabilities in the program this year and expanding the number of cinema partners to include Power Plant Mall and Walter Mart.
Apart from the free movie tickets, Binay also announced that Blu Card holders will receive their mid-year cash gift this month.
Under the Blu Card program, registered senior citizens aged 60 to 69 are eligible to receive P3,000 distributed in two equal installments in June and December.
Those aged 70 to 79 receive P4,000, while individuals between 80 and 89 years old get P5,000 each year, also in two tranches while those aged 90 to 88 as well as those who are 101 years and older gets P10,000.
