Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo wants to remove purchase booklets as a requirement for senior citizens to avail of their 20 percent discount for groceries and medicines, calling them “useless and additional burden” for the elderly.
Tulfo aired his sentiments during the resumption of the House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on the motu propio inquiry into the implementation and policies that provide discounts, incentives and tax exemptions for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“I think we have to go away with the booklet because this is useless,” Tulfo told the committee chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and other resource persons.
Tulfo stressed “this (booklet) is an insult to all the senior citizens” and that presenting a senior citizen ID is enough. “The mere fact that they have senior citizen IDs, it identifies them as a senior citizen,” he said.
To get discounts, senior citizens must bring their senior citizen ID and a purchase booklet when they shop in supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies.
Tulfo cited that the majority of the senior citizens tend to forget their booklets and when this happens, they are not granted discounts by business establishments.
The ACT-CIS partylist representative said he personally witnessed several times that some senior citizens were not given discounts because they forgot to bring their booklets.
United Senior Citizens partylist Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay agreed with Tulfo’s suggestion to abolish the booklet.
“I find it useless that a booklet has to be shown apart from the senior citizen (ID),” she said.
For his part, Rep. Salceda also agreed with Tulfo, and because of this he will be added as a member of the technical working group (TWG) tasked to craft a new law for senior citizens.
“I agree with that, we will increase the membership of the TWG crafting the new law on senior citizens and PWDs. Rep. Erwin (Tulfo) can join anytime with the TWG that is writing the new law,” Salceda said.
Meanwhile, Tulfo also echoed the suggestion of Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo to review and create a new policy for senior citizen discounts regarding online delivery services and ride-hailing applications.
“The law was passed more than 10 years ago… So there is really something wrong with this law and we have to review this law,” Tulfo stressed.