The Equalizer

Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda is taking up the cudgels for over 28 million disadvantaged Filipinos – the 15 million solo parents, 12 million senior citizens (SCs) and 1.5 million persons with disability (PWDs).

Joey has become The Equalizer, The Champion and The Advocate for these underprivileged Filipinos.

The 28.5 million who are old, disabled and living alone are 25 percent out of 115 million Filipinos.

Society has erected barriers to one of every four Filipinos because of their age, physical handicap or single parenthood. The 28 million represent a formidable constituency – demographically, politically, economically and morally.

The powerful House committee on ways and means which Salceda chairs has exercised oversight powers over the implementation of laws that mandate benefits to the 28 million underprivileged citizens.

In January and February this year, the House ways and means committee, jointly with the House committees for seniors, PWDs and solo parents, conducted hearings to look into gaps and loopholes in the implementation of laws which grant discounts, tax exemptions and other benefits for the 28.5 million Filipinos who are disadvantaged by reason of age, disability or solo parenthood.

The hearings exposed the capricious, arbitrary and miserly manner discounts and VAT exemption are given seniors and PWDs by even the largest and best known of companies. Also exposed was the seeming indifference and neglect by government agencies towards seniors, PWDs and solo parents.

Thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) itself, groceries allowed only P65 discount or 5 percent of a fictional amount of P1,300 weekly purchases by seniors and PWDs of basic necessities and prime commodities.

Seniors were also denied the 20 percent discount and 12 percent VAT exemption for services such as airline tickets bought locally and hotel rooms.  Executives of a large hotel in Ortigas were sued and ordered arrested for the violation.

Starbucks was chastised for its policy of limiting discounts to “one food item and one beverage only per visit.” Jollibee and McDonald’s and other large fast food chains routinely limit a senior’s food discount to a minuscule P40 per visit, no matter the amount of food the SC ordered. Salceda himself complained he was not given his senior discount by an airport cake shop owned by a conglomerate.

The lengthy House hearings resulted in the following expanded benefits to seniors, PWDs and solo parents:

1) Higher grocery discount for senior citizens, from P260 per month to P500 per month;

2) Ease of access in online ride-hailing and delivery platforms like Grab, Angkas and FoodPanda;

3) A dedicated SC and PWD discount application system with Meralco;

4) The 40 percent discount granted by Starbucks for seniors and PWDs;

5) The 20 percent additional top-up commitment on RFID load for senior citizen users of SMC Tollways;

6) Free parking slots for senior citizens in major malls;

7) The applicability of the senior citizen discount on top of special price offers by establishments;

8) Amendments to the implementing guidelines of government programs like TUPAD and Government Internship Program to allow free participation of senior citizens;

9) Expansion of PhilHealth benefits packages especially in primary and rehabilitative care for PWDs and

10) Allowing electronic alternatives to the booklet system used for availing of senior citizen and PWD discounts.

The joint committees also approved substitute measures to House Bills 10061, 10062 and 10063, expanding benefits for senior citizens and PWDs during the joint hearing.

During the hearings, Salceda insisted on retaining the additional deductions on labor expenses to encourage the hiring of seniors and PWDs which are designed to create employment opportunities for their sectors.

Seniors run this country.

After 1986, all Philippine presidents were of senior age at the time of their election, except one. Fidel V. Ramos was 64 in 1992; Joseph Estrada 61 in 1998; Rodrigo Duterte 71 in 2016 and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., 64, in 2022. Post-war, 1946 to 1985, the two youngest on their election as president were Ramon Magsaysay, 46, and Ferdinand Marcos Sr., 48. In the US, Joseph Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 77, are among their oldest presidents.

Business and the economy are run by seniors, including: SM group matriarch Tessie Sy is 73; SMC CEO Ramon S. Ang, 70; PLDT and MPIC Chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, 77; Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong, 71; Ayala Corp. CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, 65; casino and ports king Enrique Razon Jr., 64, and Alliance Global’s Andrew Tan, 72.

In politics, President Marcos Jr. is 65; House Speaker Martin Romualdez, 60, and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, 64. Majority of BBM’s Cabinet are seniors, led by Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, 60, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, 74.

Salceda, 62, has taken upon himself to advocate on behalf of this constituency. Not simply because nearly all are of voting age.

His motive power as an advocate is driven firstly, by personal conviction as a public servant, having been provincial governor for nine years, Cabinet member for a year and congressman for six years; and secondly, the 1987 Constitution mandates the Philippines to be a caring society.

Few in present and past Congresses can match Salceda’s intellectual heft and passion for service to the people.

*   *   *

Email: [email protected]