The new status symbol

Under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code, the penalty for falsification of public documents is prison mayor, which is a type of imprisonment ranging from six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12) years.” – Lawyer-philippines.com

Who would have imagined that a simple “government” ID would become the latest status symbol of the privileged and opportunists a.k.a “Magulang.” Based on whispered complaints from several business establishments, there has been an alarming number of FAKE PWD & senior citizen IDs being presented by students, groups, even families when dining at restaurants.

In the past, restaurant owners simply recognized the IDs until accountants began to point out the unusual amounts registered as discounts for PWDs. Some staff or cashiers have also wondered how able bodied or healthy young students jostling around would each show a PWD ID when their bill was presented.

Until recently, business owners were reluctant to act on their suspicion because netizens would summarily judge if not bully owners for being anti-PWD based on the mere allegation of someone whose ID or eligibility was challenged. At least two restaurants were allegedly forced to close because of such summary condemnation online.

A friend shared that her son’s classmates all brag about having a PWD ID and all it cost was P3,000 each. The new status symbol is apparently among students at a high-end private high school and a university. Among the Ortigas outlets, they talk about a family that arrives in a very expensive van, resides in a nearby exclusive village and frequently use PWD IDs. Can an entire family really be all PWDs?

For every P100 consumed, the law says the ID holder gets 20 percent discount or P100 – P20. We assume that the restaurant or drug store etc will get back the 20 percent in tax rebate. Apparently NOT. I was told that in reality only the 12 percent or P2.40 out the 20 is given as tax rebate. I myself would like to know what happens to the P17.6 per P100 discounted.

People might say “it’s all part of doing business.” Sorry but it’s all our business because as a result of all these abuses, restaurants have started to adjust or compensate for their disadvantage. Some have used cheaper ingredients, more extenders, added more pasta and less of the main ingredients and sauces.

I actually heard about “pseudo promos” where users of certain credit cards are given the impression that if they use a credit card at certain participating outlets, they can enjoy as much as 50 percent off. What you don’t know is that the listed price was already raised for the month. It’s no different from all those “SALE” promos we know that are 20 to 40 percent off but based on FULL retail.

Whatever the case maybe, true or false, fake or real, Congress and government need to properly monitor, regulate, and authenticate this multimillion-peso mess in discounts and privileges.

During our trip up north, I learned that some business owners have applied a policy of asking for a secondary national ID or taking a photo of the questionable PWD ID or senior citizen ID. What’s interesting is that when challenged, several students refused to show a second ID, did not want to have their PWD card copied and instead would simply pay for their meal without incident.

Just before the All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days holidays, my family and I traveled up north for work and to motivate and lovingly coerce a couple to take an unscheduled break in order to recover from “burn out.” Having gone through the experience a couple of years ago, I knew that it was a “now or never” situation for our friends.

By God’s grace, the trip did wonders for our friends, and I was able to get some work done except that our schedule, Typhoon Leon and four days of non-stop rain messed up plans and mobility. As a result, I had to call our Opinion Editor Doreen Yu to tell her I couldn’t submit an article for Nov. 1.

The next day, as I scanned the Nov. 1 issue online, I saw that the column space featured the article written by Pia Roces Morato under “Roses & Thorns.” Everything was all good and the column replacement of course was part of “standard practice” and thankful that I had a “day off,” so to speak.

But as I began drinking my cup of coffee, I was suddenly reminded of an article that went around social media reminding people of how fleeting and temporary things are and that we should set our priorities in life. As I recalled bits and pieces of the post it felt like being doused with a sobering pail of ice water. One day, I won’t occupy the space – one day I won’t be around, period!

I tried tracking down the article but all I could really remember were the parts that said: Two weeks after your death, the job you spent so much time at, the work you put all your effort into, will replace you within two weeks. Your colleagues will mourn your demise, some will really miss you but after a few weeks or months you’ll be replaced by other concerns, activities.

Life indeed is temporary and as our Lord reminded us in the book of Matthew chapter 6: “(20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

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