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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider To scrap or not to scrap senior citizen's purchase booklet: DSWD bureau suggests switching to digital records

To scrap or not to scrap senior citizen's purchase booklet: DSWD bureau suggests switching to digital records

Published Feb 2, 2024 07:53 am

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said doing away with the senior citizen’s discount booklet requirement for buying medications and other necessities will address the many complaints regarding its use.

“In previous years, the department received various concerns and complaints through various means of communication, relative to the availment of senior citizen discounts. A total of 24 complaints were received in 2022 and 2023,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications and spokesperson Romel Lopez said in a statement on Friday, Feb. 2.

ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. and former DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo and Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo have moved for the abolition of the purchase slip booklet for senior citizens based on preliminary results of their congressional investigation this week.

“We support the position of Representatives Tulfo and Quimbo to do away with the senior citizen booklet,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said, adding that the agency will take the lead in reaching out to the Department of Health (DOH) and other concerned agencies to commence the operationalization of the booklet’s abolition.

The DSWD chief said he had directed the agency’s Program Management Bureau (PMB) to do further study and make recommendations on the senior citizen purchase slip booklet.

Shift to digital records

The DSWD-PMB’s position paper, dated Feb. 1, recommended that the purchase slip booklet be removed as a requirement for senior citizens to purchase medicines, replacing it with digital records.

“Considering the mobility and tendency to forget to bring their booklets and even read their content, it is no longer convenient on the part of senior citizens to use purchase slip booklets,” the DSWD-PMB said in its position paper.

“With the fast-paced technology and innovations, it is recommended to adopt an established system for monitoring, storing, and reporting data towards an efficient, consistent, and uniform implementation of the law and provisions for the availment of medicines, basic necessities, and prime commodities, among others,” it added.

The DSWD-PMB maintained that in this digitalization, the concerned agencies such as the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), DOH, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Department of Justice, and representation from non-government organizations (NGOs), will partner with members of the private sector offering services to senior citizens.

The creation of the NCSC in 2019 by virtue of RA 11350 abolished the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board (NCMB), which was formerly chaired by the DSWD with member agencies primarily tasked to monitor the uniform implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

“The NCSC must conduct an immediate policy review accompanied by the issuance of guidelines that outline the benefits of abolishing the use of a physical booklet system, data sharing mechanisms of pharmacies and/or other relevant stakeholders nationwide, and the integration of the PhilSys ID system. The call for policy review will ensure the government’s commitment to delivering improved services to our senior citizens, embracing new technological advancements, and fostering more integrated and efficient government services,” the DSWD-PMB said.

RA 9994 grants senior citizens privileges such as a 20 percent discount and exemption from value-added tax on the sale of specific goods and services from all establishments for their exclusive use and enjoyment.

Although RA 9994 did not have a provision mandating the use of purchase slip booklet, the DOH, came out with Administrative Order (AO) No. 2010-0032 and AO 2012-0007 that required senior citizens to present a purchase slip booklet to all hospitals and drug retail outlets.

The DOH directed that “all hospitals and drug retail outlets shall require senior citizens or their representative to present the purchase slip booklets to record the kind of over-the-counter medicine purchased, how many, when and where it was purchased.“

It said the main purpose of the purchase slip booklets is to help the drugstores to monitor the last purchase made by senior citizens for a certain medicine.

Because of the DOH issuances, Rep. Mark Go also filed House Resolution No. 1263 calling for a stop on the implementation of the purchase slip booklet as a mandatory requirement in the purchase of medicines and goods by senior citizens.

On Oct. 24, 2023, the DSWD issued a letter addressed to DOH stating its support for the removal of the purchase slip booklet and welcomed any potential modification that will streamline the requirements, provided that the monitoring of purchases is ensured pending the digitalization.

Related Tags

Rex Gatchalian Senior citizen purchase booklet DSWD
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