CAMARINES Sur 2nd Rep. LRay Villafuerte welcomed a House proposal to almost double the discount cap on the groceries of senior citizens to P500 monthly.

Villafuerte lauded the Speaker Ferdinand Romualdez-ordered review by the chamber of the laws providing financial relief to seniors and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to ascertain how much additional discounts should be given to these people.

“I agree with Speaker Martin (Romualdez) that seniors and PWDs are getting paltry discounts on their essential food purchases as provided under the social protection laws benefiting their sectors,” Villafuerte, National Unity Party (NUP) president, said.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda chairs the House ways and means committee while Senior Citizens Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes and Agusan del Sur Rep. Alfelito Bascug are the respective heads of the House panels for senior citizens and for PWDs.

Based on the food inflation rates from 2010 to this year, the three committees determined that the discount cap on the weekly groceries of seniors should be raised from P65 to P125.

Under the current system, promulgated through DTI-DA Administrative Order No. 10-02, as part RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, senior citizens are entitled to a special discount of 5 percent of the regular retail prices, without exemption from the value-added tax (VAY), of basic necessities.

RA 10754, or “An Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs,” meanwhile, entitled PWDs to the same discounts.

The Bicol solon earlier threw his support behind Romualdez’s commitment for the House to wield its oversight power to compel establishments to abide by laws granting discounts and other benefits to an estimated 35 million senior citizens, solo parents and PWDs in the country, and possibly even initiate prosecution against errant business enterprises.

Villafuerte is also a lead author of RA 11861 that granted financial benefits and other privileges to single parents.

He supported the Speaker after the latter warned non-compliant establishments that the House would not hesitate to exercise its oversight power to force compliance by businesses with laws granting price discounts and other economic privileges to these vulnerable sectoral groups.

But until such time that the House wraps up its inquiry on this matter and clears up the issues as regards the implementation of the price discounts, Villafuerte called on national government agencies (NGAs) including the DTI, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) and National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) to work with local government units (LGUs) in ensuring the effective implementation of the laws beneficial to the elderly, single parents and PWDs.

Hence, his support for the Speaker’s pledge for the bigger chamber to see to it that those covered by laws granting privileges to certain sectors shall receive these economic benefits.

“Entities that are granting the discounts and other benefits will be exposed and compelled to comply with the laws. We will not hesitate to initiate prosecution,” said the Speaker following the start of the motu proprio House investigation of the reported violations of RA 9994 and RA 10754 that separately granted seniors and PWDs a price slash of a combined 32%—a 20% discount plus exemption from the 12% VAT—on certain essential purchases.

Romualdez had ordered the congressional investigation after the Speaker received reports on numerous violations of these laws, including the policy of coffeehouse chain Starbucks to limit the 32% discount on only one food item and a drink for every visit of a senior citizen or PWD, and the reported policy of bakeshop Goldilocks to restrict the discount to only a slice of a whole cake bought.

The management of Starbucks eventually apologized for what it called a signage “mistake” that limited the scope of the law-set discounts, and gave a day-long 40%-discount to seniors, PWDs and medal of valor awardees last Jan. 24 as an apology gesture.

Separately, Pasig City prosecutors had filed two cases for violation of RA 9994 and the Consumer Act of the Philippines or RA 7394 against executives of Marco Polo Hotel at the Ortigas Center in Pasig City for refusing to give the 20% discount to a female senior citizen who had stayed in a hotel room there.

The hotel’s front desk refused to give the discount when the female customer presented her Senior Citizen identification card (ID), ostensibly because the room was already on promo rate.

Under the law, however, a business establishment need not honor the senior citizen or PWD ID of a customer only if the supposed promo had the prior approval of the DTI, which then allows the customer to choose whether he or she would avail of the promo rate or the 32%-discount available to seniors and PWDs.

Villafuerte also co-authored the enrolled bill approved last December by the House and the Senate that aims to grant the aged cash gifts of P10,000 each by the time they reach 80, 85, 90 and 95 years of age.

Such monetary gifts are on top of the P100,000 cash bonanza that every senior is entitled to, under RA 10868 or the “Centenarians

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Ryan Ponce Pacpaco