House panel approves bills expanding discounts for elderly, PWDs

The House ways and means panel has approved bills granting additional discounts to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD) by including promotional items and services in discount coverage.

The additional discounts are provided under House Bills 10061 and 10062 which provides that senior citizens and PWDs are entitled to a 20% discount and exemption from the value added tax (VAT) in addition to any prevailing promotional offers or discounts extended by business establishments, as well as other discounts on parking, electricity consumption, labor expenses and government training programs.

Under existing laws, seniors and PWDs cannot enjoy the 20% discount and exemption from the value added tax if the goods or services they are buying are already on promotional discount approved by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“I congratulate my co-chairs, Representatives Rodolfo Ordanes and Alfel Bascug, for the very productive discussions. If something is available to the general public, then by definition, it is not a privilege. The point [of passing these bills] is to ensure that the preferential treatment of PWDs and senior citizens, as a shared responsibility of government and society at large, is preserved,” said Albay 2nd District congressman Joey Salceda, chairperson of the House ways and means panel.

The passage of the measures stemmed from the Salceda-led panel’s inquiry on Starbucks Coffee which limited the coverage of the senior and PWD discount to one drink and one food item, instead of covering all those personally consumed by the seniors as provided by existing laws.”

The House panel inquiry has prompted Starbucks to apologize, assure that the same incident will not happen again and grant a 40% discount to seniors and PWDs to compensate for the misapplication of the standard discount.

Salceda said the House panel inquiry also had ride-hailing apps Grab and Angkas to improve ease of access to seniors and PWD discounts.

In addition, Salceda said power distribution utility Meralco also instituted policies which made applying for the discount on electric bills easier, while the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy increased the monthly discounts for seniors and PWD from P250 to P260 a month.

“Based on our calculations, as a result of increased compliance and the expansion of the discount on basic goods, the hearings alone will result in as much as P112.6 billion in more benefits for seniors and PWDs this year alone. This does not account for the bills yet,” Salceda said.

“From the date the Speaker [Martin Romualdez] instructed us to hold hearings, to the approval of the substitute bills, we finished our jobs in 60 days,” added the congressman.—RF, GMA Integrated News