Joey Salceda: Senior citizens’ champion

Congressman Joey Salceda may be serving his final term, but the lasting impact he has made as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives will be remembered as nothing short of legendary.

I dare say he is one of the greatest losses to our legislature, having championed numerous laws that continue to benefit countless Filipinos today.

The Albay 2nd District representative is rightfully credited for many of our country’s measures that resulted in ease of doing business, improved investment climate, and additional benefits for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and single parents.

Filipinos from all walks of life continue to benefit from his contributions to national policy. The Free College Tuition Law has helped thousands, if not millions, of Filipino students in their pursuit of higher education. The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) has provided relief to minimum-wage earners through tax exemption. The Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act helps boost Philippine competitiveness by modernizing the fiscal incentive system.

Congressman Salceda is also instrumental in passing laws that bring recognition to the importance of science and technology in national development. The Bicolano lawmaker is responsible for the Balik Scientist Act which is geared toward incentivizing Filipino experts who choose to share their expertise in the fields of science, technology and engineering, as well as the law creating the Philippine Space Agency.

Among the multitude of legislative contributions, perhaps one that hits close to home is Congressman Salceda’s efforts to advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged Filipinos, particularly senior citizens.

Earlier this year, Congressman Salceda led marathon hearings at Congress to push for additional and improved benefits for senior citizens, particularly the 4 million who are indigent.

As a senior citizen myself, I welcome and appreciate Rep. Salceda’s efforts that will bring forth better services and benefits for the Filipino elderly, especially since the majority are already retired and dependent on modest pensions. Salceda pushing for reforms will make meaningful difference as these are set to significantly improve the financial status of senior citizens.

Among the improved benefits that Congressman Salceda was able to advocate are the following:

– Increasing the senior citizen discount for basic goods to P500 per month from P260

– Easier application process for the senior citizen rate in electric cooperatives and distribution utilities like Meralco

– Free parking in major malls and 20 percent discount on parking fees in other establishments

– Wider PhilHealth benefit package

– Implementation of the senior citizen discount in dining establishments on top of promo rates

– Phasing out of the booklet system for senior citizen discounts

Bills authored by Rep. Salceda standardize the discounts provided to senior citizens and strengthen process that guarantee the implementation of these benefits.

More so, within the tax reform policies that Salceda introduced- the TRAIN law and the CREATE law-he ensured that the health needs of senior citizens are covered.

His tax reform policies enabled millions of senior citizens to purchase maintenance medicine without value-added tax (VAT). The exemption covers around two thousand drugs that are meant for the treatment and management of various illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney diseases, and high cholesterol, among others.

Earlier this year, 22 more medicines were included in the exemption, making many life-saving drugs more affordable to senior citizens and underprivileged Filipinos in general.

As he was about to end his last term as a lawmaker, Congressman Salceda pushed for the renewal of the legislative franchise of Meralco, the power distributor servicing the country’s major economic hub Metro Manila and nearby provinces. This was to ensure the continued delivery of reliable electricity service in support of the country’s economic growth trajectory.

As he completes his last term, I ponder on what more contributions to the nation he could and would have made with more time in Congress.

Still, I find satisfaction and comfort in the fact that he will bring his expertise back to Bicol where he previously served as governor. His return is truly a win for Bicolanos that is worthy of envy.