The law granting discounts and other privileges to senior citizens, which has already been amended twice, was crafted to give full support to the improvement of the total well-being of the elderly and their full participation in society.

The law is a testament to the desire of the state to care for the country’s senior citizens in their twilight years after they contributed their own fair share in nation-building during their productive years.

Republic Act (RA) No. 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010), gave the senior citizens a 20-percent discount on top of their exemption from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on certain goods and services. Republic Act 7432, an act granting privileges and other benefits for senior citizens was enacted in April 23, 1992.

The same privileges are granted to persons with disabilities (PWDs) under RA No. 10754 (Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs).

Senior citizens have been enjoying the benefits of this law for many years although once in a while, there are reports of non-compliance of an establishment.  The investigation into the reports would be a good time to evaluate improvements to the implementation of the law.

Although commercial establishments have trained personnel on how to calculate the discounts, a few details may need to be revisited to make the senior citizen discount readily applied during the process of billing. 

Making the senior citizen comfortable when using the card for a discount should be an item that will be appreciated by everyone. 

Paying a bill in any establishment with a faster way of copying details from the senior citizens card to a notebook, is another way to make the senior citizen feel welcome in a store.
An establishment could add another thoughtful way to implement the law, and leave a lasting good impression with the customer.

The law sets penalties to persons or establishments who refuse to honor the senior citizen card, with the first violation setting “imprisonment of not less that two years but not more than six years, and a fine of not less than ₱50,000 but not exceeding ₱100,000.”

The senior citizens discount became a much-discussed issue in social media recently after reports of misinterpretation of the law by some establishments.   
A subsequent House inquiry into one of the incidents uncovered loopholes and the House Committee on Ways and Means has vowed to recommend steps to address the gaps and confusion in the interpretation of the law.

Congress should act, pronto. it is incumbent upon Congress to immediately fill the gaps in the senior citizens’ law to avoid controversies and confusion in the future.
Take note that by 2030, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) projects that the country may become an aging population.

As of the 2020 census, people aged 60 years and over (senior citizens) made up 8.5 percent (9.22 million) of the household population. In 2055, the “percentage share of this age group is expected to increase to about 19.6 percent,” according to a Philippine Statistics Authority report, based on a scenario recommended for policy and program planning.
Remedial steps in the form of legislation or regulation should be undertaken immediately so there would be no room for the misinterpretation of the law.

Senior citizens deserve better treatment. It won’t help if the law granting them discounts and other privileges have gaps, which may be used by some unscrupulous parties to skirt the law.