Benefits for seniors

Albay 2nd District Congressman Joey Salceda is mad.

He is disgusted that through all these years, two laws intended to provide substantial benefits to senior citizens (there are 12 million of them, Filipinos 60 and above) and persons with disabilities have been given short shrift by establishments, including the government itself, despite being mandated to enforce and provide the discounts, incentives and tax exemptions.

Joey wants the injustice rectified. And he is looking for up to P1.5 trillion to fund the benefits senior citizens and PWDs are clearly entitled to.

He is aghast that out of an estimated 12 million senior citizens, the government National Commission on Senior Citizens has been able to register only four million seniors, leaving eight million senior citizens either missing, unaccounted for or might not exist.

Seniors and PWDs must always carry with them a purchase booklet for them to enjoy the astronomically huge discount of P65, PER WEEK, when purchasing groceries, what government calls “prime and basic commodities.” These items are not clearly defined but I suppose they refer to rice, fish, vegetables, canned goods.

But the grocery stores have the last say. And you know, our grocery stores are owned by richest Filipinos on earth but their minions at the checkout counters just follow orders – limit what senior citizens and PWDs can claim as goods subject to discount.

And frankly, can senior citizens survive on P65 worth of food per week or P9.28 per day? Not even stray dogs or askals can.

The executives of a well-known hotel chain in Pasig were recently arrested for refusal to give a senior his 20 percent discount. A prominent coffee chain tried to restrict a senior’s 20 percent discount to “one food item and one beverage only per visit.”

Jollibee and McDo limit senior discounts to P40, per purchase, unless you summon the manager. Goldilocks allows P5 discount per whole cake.

“Much has to be done to serve senior citizens and PWDs,” Joey fumes.

Republic Act 7432 (The Senior Citizens Act) and Republic Act 7277, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability, mandate the benefits.

RA 7432, as amended by RA 9994, the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010,” advocates the constitutional priority of providing social security programs for elderly members of the State (Article XV, Section 4 of the 1987Constitution) – the State may design programs of social security for the purpose of assisting the elderly.

Thus, RA 7432 aims to:

1) Establish mechanisms whereby the contribution of senior citizens is maximized;

2) Adopt measures whereby senior citizens are assisted and appreciated by the community and

3) Establish a program beneficial to senior citizens, their families and the rest of the community that they serve.

Additionally, under Section 4 of RA 9994, senior citizens are entitled to a 20 percent discount and exemption from value-added tax when purchasing goods and services. The senior citizen needs only to be present physically and show proof of his/her age, using his/her senior citizen ID or any valid Philippine government-issued ID or document showing his/her date of birth, such as a driver’s license or a passport.

The Department of Trade and the Department of Agriculture were tasked to operationalize the discounts.

On “basic necessities and prime commodities,” seniors are entitled to a five percent discount of the regular retail price, but are not exempted from paying the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT). The cumulative five percent discount cannot exceed P65, based on assumed grocery consumption of P1,300 per week.

The seniors, however, must bring their so-called purchase booklet, which expanded is the size of a diploma or a bond paper. Like a student carrying a notebook.

Outside of fresh goods, senior citizens are entitled to both a 20 percent discount and exemption from the 12 percent VAT. In theory, the combined discount should be more than 32 percent.

Other laws offer more senior benefits:

• RA 10645 provides for their mandatory PhilHealth coverage or health insurance;

• RA 11916 increases the social pension of indigent seniors;

• RA 10868, the Centenarians Act of 2016, mandates a P100,000 cash gift to seniors who turn 100 on their birthday.

Meanwhile, RA 7277 adopts the declaration of the State in Section 11, Article XII, of the 1987 Constitution to develop a comprehensive approach in establishing social services available to all persons at affordable cost.

The Constitution also provides that the State shall prioritize the needs of the underprivileged, sick and disabled.

RA 7277 seeks to mainstream the disabled into society, by removing all social, cultural, economic, environmental and attitudinal barriers that prejudice disabled persons.

To strengthen its constitutional mandate, RA 7277 has been enhanced by the following laws:

• RA 9442, An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise Known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, and For Other Purposes;

• RA 10524, An Act Expanding the Positions Reserved for Persons with Disability, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 7277, as Amended, Otherwise Known as the Magna Carta For Persons with Disability;

• RA 10754, An Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of Persons with Disability.

Also, RA 7277 grants benefits to PWDs to promote their welfare and encourage their participation in society.

Sadly, says Salceda, “there have been numerous cases of non-compliance with the provisions of the law granting benefits to PWDs.”

Just like for seniors, PWDs are entitled to a five percent discount when buying “necessities and prime commodities” but are not exempted from paying the 12 percent VAT.

The five percent discount applies to purchases not exceeding P1,300 per week, with no carryover of unused amounts. Five percent of P1,300 is P65, the discount allowed seniors per week. The ridiculous P65 has been raised recently.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]