Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid has called for the passage of a bill seeking to further provide discounts to senior citizens, by giving them the five percent discount on water and electricity bills.

Lapid, in filing Senate Bill No. 2169, also proposed that senior citizens be exempted from the 12 percent Value Added Tax (VAT).

The senator said he believes passage of the bill into law would greatly help senior citizens who have no income and are short on spending on their food and medicines.

"Many senior citizens are poor and they are not able to budget for their pension, so they deserve to be given a little relief through VAT exemption and a more extended 5 percent discount on water and electricity consumption," Lapid said about the bill.

Enacting the measure into law, he said, would also be a way for the government to express its gratitude to senior citizens who contributed a lot to the country's economy during their youth.

"Any little help or support we can give to senior citizens is a big thing to make them feel our love and concern for their contribution to our society,” he further said.

The measure specifically seeks a five percent discount for senior citizens for the first 150 kilowatt hours (kWh) from the current 50 kWh on electricity consumption.

The bill also seeks to provide a five percent discount on water consumption for citizens for the first 50 cubic meters (m3) from the current 30 cubic meters.

Lapid’s bill also seeks to exempt senior citizens from the 12 percent VAT if their electricity and water bills are under their name.

The senator said providing further discounts to seniors can stimulate the local economy as they are more likely to spend their savings on local goods and services, which can help create jobs and generate revenue for businesses.

“Over-all providing discounts on electricity and water bills for senior citizens is a way of supporting them and acknowledging their contributions to society while also ensuring their basic needs are met,” he said.

“In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought,” Lapid stressed.