(MANILA BULLETIN)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez intends to fast-track the P500 discount for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in grocery stores and supermarkets nationwide, even as he described the benefit as low-hanging fruit. 

This, after House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda filed a proposal to increase the discount of these sectors to P125 per week, or P500 per month. 

Currently, the discount for seniors and PWDs is only P65 per week or P260 per month on their purchased grocery items. 

"Kaya itong gawin agad kahit next month dahil isang memorandum circular lang naman ng Department of Trade and Industry o DTI ang kailangan para ibaba sa lahat ng grocery stores at supermarkets," Romualdez said in a statement Sunday, Feb. 25. 

(This can be attained as early as next month since only one memorandum circular from the DTI is required to be cascaded to grocery stores and supermarkets.) 

In an interview, DTI Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles said they were preparing an Inter-Agency Committee circular to immediately implement the House leader's wish of P500 discount per month on grocery items for senior citizens and PWDs. 

The said inter-agency committee includes the DTI, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department of Energy (DOE). 

“Pinatitingnan ko na rin kay Cong. Salceda kung ano pa ang pwedeng maibibigay na tulong sa mga seniors at PWDs natin na kakarampot lang naman ang pensyon ng karamihan," noted Romualdez. 

(I've also asked Cong. Salceda to determine what other forms of assistance we can give to seniors and PWDs, most of whom have meager pension.) 

Meanwhile, another Bicol congressman in Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte welcomed Romualdez's directive on the discount hike for seniors and PWDs. 

“I agree with Speaker Martin (Romualdez) that seniors and PWDs are getting paltry discounts on their essential food purchases as provided under the social protection laws benefiting their sectors,” Villafuerte said in a separate statement. 

“Hence my support for the recent move by three House committees to jointly direct the DTI and DA (Department of Agriculture) to raise the cap on the 5 percent discount now enjoyed by senior citizens on their purchases of certain basic goods from the current P65 to P125 per week,” he said. 

“This will translate into a maximum monthly price discount of P500 per senior citizen on his or her groceries,” added the veteran solon, a lead author of Republic Act (RA) 11916, or the “Social Pension for Indigent Seniors Act” of 2022, which doubled the monthly pension of indigent elderly Filipinos to P1,000.