A leader of the House of Representatives on Thursday said the 20 per cent discount mandated by law for purchases of senior citizens and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) should include purchases made online.
In filing House Resolution 1880, Rep. Alfred Vargas, chairman of the House Committee on Social Services, said with the pandemic and restrictions on their movements, many senior citizens and PWDs have resorted to buying online, but they don’t get the required discounts.
Vargas attributed this anomaly to the “lack of clear guidelines” from national agencies tasked with implementing the provision on discounts.
“With the lack of clear guidelines from implementing agencies regarding the special discounts on online transactions, millions of Filipino senior citizens and persons with disabilities are unable to avail of the privileges that they rightfully deserve under the law,” according to a resolution filed by Vargas.
The resolution urges the concerned government agencies to immediately draft and implements guidelines extending the discounts for online purchases.
In HR 1880, Vargas noted that under existing laws, the elderly and PWDs are granted 20 per cent discount on purchases.
These laws, he said, do not make any exemptions for online purchases.
“The Expanded Senior Citizens Act and the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities do not make any distinction on the applicability of its privileges and special discounts between offline and online transactions, and must thus be interpreted to be available for online purchases,” Vargas said in his resolution.
As early as October 2020, Vargas said consumer advocacy groups have asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to release the guidelines to allow the elderly and the PWDS to avail themselves of the discounts for their online purchases.
But as of May, Vargas said the DSWD and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) “have confirmed that they have yet to release the guidelines after important consultations with other national government agencies.”
The lawmaker reminded these agencies that it is government’s duty “to ensure with urgency that our services for the people are made accessible especially for the marginalized and underprivileged.”
“Given the importance of online transactions in the everyday life and subsistence of Filipinos especially belonging in the senior citizens and persons with disabilities sector, it is imperative that the government establish and properly implement the necessary guidelines for special discounts on online transactions to uphold the rights and welfare of the elderly and persons with disabilities with the privileges they are entitled to under the law,” Vargas said.
