DSWD REITERATES LIST OF DISCOUNTED GOODS FOR SENIORS
Friday, 23 July 2010 01:02 | 
Written by administrator2 | 
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Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman clarified that basic necessities and prime commodities are not covered by the 20 percent discount for senior citizens; instead, these are subject to special discount of five (5) percent.
The basic necessities are rice, corn, bread, fresh, dried and canned fish and other marine products, fresh pork, beef and poultry, meat, fresh eggs, fresh and processed milk, fresh vegetables, root crops, coffee, cooking oil, salt, laundry soap and detergents.
The prime commodities include fresh fruits, flour, dried, processed and canned pork, beef and poultry, meat, dairy products not falling under basic necessities; noodles, onions, garlic; and all drugs not classified as essential drugs by the Department of Health (DOH) and other commodities that may be classified by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) according to Republic Act No. 7581 or The Price Act .
The special discounts may be availed of only in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience and mini-convenience stores excluding sari-sari stores, wet market, “talipapa” and cooperatives.
“Senior Citizens should always bring their purchase booklet when buying the goods,” Secretary Soliman added.
The booklet is distributed by the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) located in every city and municipality nationwide.
A senior citizen who cannot personally purchase basic necessities and prime commodities may designate a representative to transact on his or her behalf. The authorized representative is required to present a valid government–issued identification card together with the OSCA-issued identification card of the senior citizen and an authorization letter.
Secretary Soliman reiterated that the 20 percent discount is given on the following:
a) purchase of medicines, including the purchase of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, and such other essential medical supplies, accessories and equipment;
b) the professional fees of attending physician/s in all private hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics and home health care services;
c) the professional fees of licensed professional health workers providing home health care services as endorsed by private hospitals or employed through home health care employment agencies;
d) medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees in all private hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health care services, in accordance with the rules and regulations to be issued by the' DOH, in coordination with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);
e) actual fare for land transportation travel in public utility buses (PUBs), public utility jeepneys (PUJs), taxis, Asian utility vehicles (AUVs), shuttle services and public railways, including Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rail Transit (MRT) , and Philippine National Railways (PNR);
f) actual transportation fare for domestic air transport services and sea shipping vessels and the like, based on the actual fare and advanced booking;
g) the utilization of services in hotels and similar lodging establishments, restaurants (including food ordered for dine-in, take-out and delivery which are for exclusive consumption of the senior citizen); and recreation centers;
h) admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses and concert halls, circuses, carnivals, and other similar places of culture, leisure and amusement; and
i) funeral and burial services for the death of senior citizens excluding obituary publication and the purchase of the memorial lot.
“Clothes and gasoline are not covered by both 20 percent and 5 percent discounts,” Secretary Soliman concluded. ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) 22 July 2010.
SECRETARY SOLIMAN HOLDS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE; APPEALS TO SENIORS NOT TO ABUSE THEIR PRIVILEGESFriday, 09 July 2010 08:41 | Written by administrator2 | | |
 Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano – Soliman held her first press conference on July 7, where she addressed issues and concerns on the implementation of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. The IRR became effective on July 6 granting the full 20 percent discount - privileges to senior citizens. Secretary Soliman emphasized that senior citizens who have queries and complaints may call the DSWD hotlines 951-7120 and cellphone number 0999-341-7425 or visit the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board (NCMB) website at http://ncmb.dswd.gov.ph and email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . “We also plan to set-up Help Desks at the DSWD Central Office and in all DSWD Regional Offices for senior citizens without access to phone lines and the internet,” Secretary Soliman added. Secretary Soliman appealed to senior citizens to refrain from abusing the privileges under RA 9994. “The law is the government’s way of acknowledging and giving praise to senior citizens who contributed to nation building, and is designed for the sole enjoyment of the senior citizens, so please do not abuse these privileges,” Secretary Soliman stated. # (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) July 9, 2010 Last Updated (Tuesday, 13 July 2010 06:35) EXPANDED PRIVILEGES AND NEW BENEFITS CLARIFIED IN RA 9994’S IRRWednesday, 07 July 2010 02:43 | Written by administrator2 | | |
Senior citizens will now enjoy even more benefits and privileges under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. In addition to the old 20% discount on the purchase of certain goods and services, and free medical and dental services from government health facilities, our Filipino elderly will be entitled to VAT-exemptions in specific transactions, free pneumoccocal and influenza vaccines, and 5% utility discounts on electric and water consumption. Republic Act No. 9994 seeks to provide additional benefits to senior citizens by expanding their current discount privileges. They currently enjoy a 20% discount on medicine purchases, domestic travel land, air, and sea fare, food purchases from hotels and restaurants, admission fees on theaters and concert halls, medical and dental services, laboratory test fees, and funeral or burial services. Under RA 9994, these transactions will now be exempt from the Value-Added Tax (VAT). Previously, the utility discount only applied to DSWD-accredited senior citizens centers and residential/group homes, now individual households with senior citizens residing therein may avail of the 5% utility discount on electric and water consumption provided they do not exceed 100kwh or 30 cubic meters, and have accounts or meters registered under the senior citizen’s name. Similarly, FREE medical services can only be availed of in government health facilities under the old law. Under RA 9994, the DOH is mandated to provide free pneumoccocal and influenza vaccines to indigent senior citizens. Additional government financial assistance now includes a monthly social pension of P500 for indigent senior citizens, and a death benefit assistance of P2,000 to be given to the nearest surviving relative who took care of deceased senior citizen. Senior citizens will continue to enjoy their special 5% discount on prime commodities and basic necessities from groceries and supermarkets, but at a “combined” amount of P1,300 per week, instead of the separate P650/week from DA and P650/week from DTI. Moreover, the DOH and FDA have clarified that discounted drug and medicine purchases, now extend to vitamins and minerals specifically prescribed by doctors for senior citizens for purposes of prevention, treatment, or diagnosis of a disease or illness. However, they still exclude those classified as “food supplements with no approved therapeutic claim”. On the other hand, the 20% discount also extends to the purchase of essential medical supplies, accessories or equipment like eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids, walkers or wheelchairs, and even to geriatric diapers. Meanwhile, while the 20% discount shall continue to cover domestic land, air and sea transport of senior citizens, it has been reiterated that this applies to “fares” only. Hence, the Skyway has been duly removed from the listing since it collects “tolls” from vehicles, but the discount is applicable to taxicabs and shuttle services as per DOTC guidelines. Furthermore, it has been clarified what “related funeral or burial services” are subject to the 20% senior citizens discount. These include the purchase of the casket or urn, embalming, cremation costs, pick-up of the body from the morgue, transport for burial at his/her hometown, but excluding obituary publication and the cost of the memorial lot. |
ORIENTATIONS AND CAPACITY-BUILDING ON RA 9994 AND ITS NEW IRR HELD IN BAGUIO AND QUEZON CITYWednesday, 07 July 2010 02:44 | Written by administrator2 | | |
Following the signing of the new Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9994 last June 18, 2010 and its recent publication in the Business Mirror, Remate and Philippine Star, numerous requests for orientations and technical assistance have been received by the National Coordinating and Monitoring Board (NCMB) Secretariat. On June 23, 2010, Germaine Trittle P. Leonin and Rowena Layugan, DSWD Policy Development and Planning Bureau focal persons on elderly concerns, provided an orientation on RA 9994 for the regional representatives of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Senior Citizens sector during their Quarterly Sectoral Meeting at the Eurotel North EDSA, Quezon City. In attendance were past sectoral representatives to NAPC and consultants from FSCAP and ARPES, including the newly elected regional members. Questions raised mostly centered on the P500 monthly social pension and the new provisions affecting the appointment of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) Head. These concerns were very much related to the functions being required of them as officers of their respective senior citizens associations. Besides convening the required general assembly to nominate and endorse the new OSCA Head appointee, they have also been tasked to provide vital information on who are indigent senior citizens within their communities. Meanwhile, on June 25, 2010, DSWD-CAR organized a big event in Baguio City bringing together OSCA Heads and senior citizens associations from the various cities and municipalities of the Cordillera region, as well as representatives of government agencies and business establishments to discuss RA 9994 and its new IRR. Germaine Trittle P. Leonin was invited all the way from the DSWD Central Office to lecture on the salient features of the law, as well as the relevant provisions of the IRR. After her presentation on RA 9994 and the IRR, she was joined by representatives of other government agencies to answer questions and clarify concerns in an Open Forum-Dialogue which lasted three (3) whole hours. The activity which boasted of 160 participants was well-attended and required the use of at least two conference rooms at Hotel Veniz. Stakeholders from both the private sector and government agencies actively participated and interacted well, raising issues as well as answering questions and clarifying concerns with each other. Topics ranged from OSCA Head appointments and honoraria, to the availment of discounts from small drugstores and pharmacies, groceries and supermarkets, and the utility discounts from local water districts and electric cooperatives. However, given the fairly recent signing and publication of the IRR, it appears that some government representatives were still not familiar with their agencies’ responsibilities under the law or the 30-day period given them to draft their relevant supplemental guidelines to help implement the law. |
