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