NCSC wants senior booklet replacement

MANILA, Philippines — Saying the senior citizen’s purchase booklet no longer serves its purpose, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) has recommended its replacement with a database that can be accessed by all participating merchants.

The purchase booklet is mandated under Republic Act 9994 or The Expanded Senior Citizens Act to monitor and record the transactions of the elderly.

“Personally, I want to remove it because the booklet no longer serves its purpose. So, I was looking at a centralized database where there will be data sharing of all merchants... I hope that we will also be able to develop fast the database,” NCSC chairman Franklin Quijano said at the Bangon Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday.

Quijano also said that senior citizens tend to forget their booklets, adding that producing the booklets is not that environment-friendly.

Under RA 9994, senior citizens are entitled to a 20 percent discount and exemption from the 12 percent the value-added tax when purchasing certain goods and services.