A joint panel of the House of Representatives approved on Tuesday three bills seeking to expand the benefits of senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs).
During a hearing, the House committees on senior citizens, disability affairs, and ways and means approved House Bills (HB) 10061, 10062, and 10063, all of which aim to enhance the discounts, benefits, and privileges of senior citizens and PWDs.
HB 10061, in particular, proposes that the mandatory 20-percent discount and value-added tax exemption granted to senior citizens and PWDs be applied in addition to any prevailing promotional offers or discounts extended by business establishments.
Ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda said the senior citizen (SC) and PWD discounts should remain applicable even with a bigger promo.
“If something is available to the general public, then by definition, it is not a privilege. The point is to ensure that the preferential treatment of PWDs and SC, as a shared responsibility of government and society at large, is preserved,” he said.
HB 10062, on the other hand, seeks to rationalize the benefits and privileges of senior citizens and PWDs to ensure equitable access to essential services, social welfare, and opportunities for participation.
The bill introduces a 20 percent discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption from the payment of the initial rate for parking fees, as well as the grant of a 15 percent discount to the monthly utilization of water and electricity supplied by public utilities, provided the consumption does not exceed 100-kilowatt hours of electricity and 30 cubic meters of water every month.
It also proposes free postal charges on books and periodicals, orthopedic and other devices, and teaching aids for the use of senior citizens and PWDs sent by mail within the Philippines.
It likewise provides for an additional deduction of 25 percent on labor expenses for employers of PWDs and senior citizens.
Meanwhile, House Bill 10063 seeks to integrate a dedicated section within the eGov PH Super App to cater to the specific needs of senior citizens and PWDs and offer tailored services, information, and resources to empower them to navigate through available government offerings.
Salceda highlighted that the series of joint hearings achieved other milestones that encouraged some private businesses to improve their services to senior citizens and PWDs.
“We were able to get Starbucks to do a 40 percent discount to compensate for misapplication of the standard discount. We got Grab and Angkas to improve ease of access to SC and PWD discounts. We got MERALCO to make applying for the discount on electric bills easier,” he said.
Aside from that, the government, through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), will increase the senior citizen’s discount on basic goods from PHP65 per week to PHP125, or a total of PHP500 per month, he added.
“Based on our calculations, as a result of increased compliance and the expansion of the discount on basic goods, the hearings alone will result in as much as PHP112.6 billion in more benefits for seniors and PWDs this year alone. This does not account for the bills yet,” Salceda said.
Speaker Martin Romualdez has directed the appropriate House panels to investigate reports of senior citizens and PWDs being denied discounts under existing laws. (PNA)
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