Recently, a lawyer (of course) filed suit against 2 restaurants for “refusing to grant him and his wife senior citizens' privileges for their failure to present their senior citizens' cards.”
Not a lot of people like to admit
their age. But when they can get at least a 20% discount in their purchase,
they will gladly even show proof of their old
age.
The Expanded Senior Citizens Act
of 2010 (R.A. 9994)
lists several important privileges, discounts and benefits favoring senior
citizens.
Sufficient Identification Documents
“In the availment of the
privileges [under the law], the senior citizen, or his/her duly authorized
representative, may submit as proof of his/her entitled thereto any of the
following:
(1)
an identification
card issued by the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) of the place
where the senior citizen resides: Provided, That the identification card issued
by the particular OSCA shall be honored nationwide;
(2)
the passport
of the senior citizen concerned; and
(3)
other documents that establish that the senior citizen
is a citizen of the Republic and is at least sixty (60) years of age as further
provided in the implementing rules and regulations.” (Section 4) [emphases
supplied]
Sec. 5.5 of Rule III of the
Implementing Rules and Regulations defines “Identification Document” as any of
the following -
“a) Senior
Citizens’ Identification Card issued by the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) in the city or
municipality where the elderly resides;
b)
The Philippine passport of the elderly person or senior
citizen concerned; and
c)
Other valid documents that establish the senior citizen
or elderly person as a citizen of the Republic and at least sixty (60) years of
age, which shall include but not be limited to the following government-issued
identification documents indicating an elderly’s birthdate or age: driver’s license, voters ID, SSS/GSIS ID, PRC card, postal ID.” [emphases supplied]
Additional Documentary Requirements by the DOH
Note that the Department of Health issued Administrative
Order No. 2010-0032 (dated October 9, 2010) entitled “Guidelines and Mechanisms
to Implement the Provisions of Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as “The
Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010", on the Sale of Medicines and the
Sharing of the 20%o Senior Citizens' Discount” under Part V. III Documentary
Requirements -
“a. All
hospitals and drug retail outlets shall require Senior Citizens or their representative to present the following
requirements for the availment of the 20% discount:
1. Identification
card (ID) issued by the city or municipal mayor or Office for Senior Citizens
Affairs (OSCA) or the barangay captain of the place where the Senior Citizen
resides. The said ID should be recognized nationwide.
2. Except for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs,
a doctor's prescription should be presented.
A prescription should have the following information: name, age, sex, and
address of the Senior Citizen, as well as the date, generic name of the
medicine, dosage form, dosage strength, quantity, name and signature, address
of the prescribing physician, professional license number, and narcotic license
or S2 number, if applicable.
3.
Purchase slip
booklets shall be used to record the kind of OTC medicine purchased, how
many, when and where it was purchased. Likewise, this will help the drugstores
to monitor the last purchase made for a certain medicine.” [emphases supplied]
Penalties
Seniors and establishments should
remember that “[a]ny person who refuses to honor the senior citizen card issued
by this the government or violates any provision of this Act shall suffer the
following penalties … [f]or the first violation, imprisonment of not less than
two (2) years but not more than six (6) years and a fine of not less than Fifty
thousand pesos (Php50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos
(Php100,000.00)…” (Sec. 10)
The latest on this matter indicates
that the lawyer has dropped the charges after the owners of the restaurants
apologized after pleading they did not know that the law “allows the use of
identification cards other than the senior citizen’s card.” It’s also reported that the dropping of the
case is conditioned on the restaurants’ donation of “at least P20,000 each to
any home for the aged (like Golden Acres).”[1]
The “Expanded Senior Citizens Act
of 2010” means expanding the rights of senior citizens and not extending
senior moments to establishments.
[1] Cruz, N. H. (2013, July 16). As I See It
read more:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/56731/what-happened-to-qc-housing-tax-for-squatters
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