The House committees on senior citizens, disability affairs, and ways and means endorsed House Bills (HB) 10061, 10062, and 10063 during a hearing.

These bills aim to improve the discounts, benefits, and privileges available to senior citizens and PWDs.

HB 10061 proposes that the mandatory 20-percent discount and value-added tax (VAT) exemption currently granted to senior citizens and PWDs be applied on top of any existing promotional offers or discounts provided by businesses.

According to ways and means committee chairperson Joey Salceda, the discounts for senior citizens and PWDs should still apply even when a larger promotional discount is available.

He emphasized the importance of preserving the preferential treatment of PWDs and senior citizens as a shared responsibility of the government and society.

HB 10062 seeks to rationalize the benefits and privileges of senior citizens and PWDs to ensure equitable access to essential services, social welfare, and opportunities for participation.

It proposes a 20 percent discount and VAT exemption on parking fees, as well as a 15 percent discount on monthly water and electricity consumption for public utilities, provided it does not exceed specified limits.

Additionally, the bill proposes free postal charges for books, periodicals, orthopedic devices, and teaching aids sent by mail within the Philippines for the use of senior citizens and PWDs.

It also suggests an additional deduction of 25 percent on labor expenses for employers of PWDs and senior citizens.

House Bill 10063 aims to integrate a dedicated section within the eGov PH Super App to address the specific needs of senior citizens and PWDs, providing tailored services, information, and resources to empower them to access government offerings more easily.

Salceda noted that the joint hearings have led to improvements in services for senior citizens and PWDs by some private businesses.

“We were able to get Starbucks to do a 40 percent discunt to compensate for misapplication of the standard discount. We got Grab and Angkas to improve ease of access to SC and PWD discounts. We got Meralco to make applying for the discount on electric bills easier,” Salceda said.

Furthermore, the government, through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), will increase the senior citizen's discount on basic goods from PHP65 per week to PHP125, or a total of PHP500 per month.

“Based on our calculations, as a result of the inreased compliance and the expansion of the discount on basic goods, the hearings alone will result in as much as PHP112.6 billion in more benefits for seniors and PWD’s this year alone. This does not acocunt for the bills yet,” said Salceda.