(MANILA BULLETIN)





A recently filed House bill (HB) in the 19th Congress seeks to expand the coverage of the discount on electricity consumption being given to senior citizens. Sorsogon 1st district Rep. Marie Bernadette Escudero penned and filed HB No.7919, also known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2023. The full title of the measure reads, "An Act granting senior citizens a 5 percent discount on their first 200-kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity consumption and exemption from payment of any senior citizen subsidy collected by the government, amending for the purpose Republic Act (RA) No.9994, otherwise known as the 'Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010'." Under the current law, a 5 percent discount is only given to senior citizens whose monthly consumption is 100 kWh or below. "Republic Act No.9994, also known as the 'Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010', amended the previous law, RA No 7432, to provide better services and assistance to senior citizens. However, due to changes in their needs over time, certain provisions of the law need further amendment," Escudero wrote in her explanatory note. "For example, Section 4.c. of RA No.9994 entitles senior citizens to a minimum of 5 percent discount on their monthly electricity consumption, but the current Filipino household consumption, as of March 2023, exceeds the limit of 100 (kWh) set by the law, making only a limited number of senior citizens eligible for the discount," she said. The measure, if and when enacted, will double the limit to 200 kWh. "Moreover, ineligible senior citizens are still required to pay for the Senior Citizens Subsidy under Article 5. Resolution No.23, Series of 2010 of the Energy Regulatory Commission. This implementation undermines the original intent of RA No.9994," HB No.7919 further read. "Therefore, it is respectfully requested that this bill be enacted into law to address these issues and ensure that the rights and privileges of senior citizens are properly upheld," it added.