Firms told: Follow law on PWD, senior citizen discounts

SPEAKER Martin Romualdez yesterday called for a motu proprio House investigation into reports that some senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) are being denied discounts as provided under existing laws, as he reminded business establishments to comply with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, and RA 10754, or the Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs.

“Laws granting benefits to our senior citizens and PWDs should be strictly followed and implemented. And if there are several instances of the improper grant of these privileges and benefits, it becomes the common practice. So, it cannot remain unchecked,” Romualdez said in calling for the probe.

“This is what we hope to achieve in this investigation: to clarify the law and correct all their misconceptions and wrong implementation. Seniors and PWDs have a lot of questions so we’ll give them a chance to ask when the hearing starts,” the Speaker said.

Romualdez cited the reported policy of the Starbucks chain to limit the 20 percent discount and exemption from the 12 percent value added tax to only one food item and one drink per visit for seniors and PWDs.

Just last month, the Pasig City Prosecutors Office filed two cases against two officials of the Marco Polo Hotel for declining to grant a 20 percent discount to a senior citizen. They were charged for violating two senior citizen laws: Section 4 (a)(7) of RA 9994 and Article 116 of Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

“Flagrant violations of the laws that grant benefits to our senior citizens and PWDs are trending topics on social media these past few months. It is high time that the House of Representatives review the implementation of these laws and find out if business establishments are complying with every provision,” Romualdez said.

The Speaker is the principal author of RA 10754, which exempts more than 1.9 million PWDs from the 12 percent VAT on certain goods and services. This is on top of the 20 percent discount PWDs enjoy under RA 9442, or the law that amended and expanded the coverage of RA 7277, or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

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