Greetings o all Senior Citizens of San Carlos City.
Allow me to share to you my views and observations when I went around our city. I found out that there were several business establishments which maybe unknowingly violates the Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010 or RA 9994.
Under RA 9994 as stipulated at the back of our Senior Citizen Identification cards as issued by the Office for Senior Citizens Affair (OSCA). The Senior Citizens are entitled to:
1) 20 percent discounts in purchase of medicines; 2) 20 percent discounts in hotels, recreation centers, restaurants, etc.; 3) 20 percent discounts in theaters, cinema houses, and concert halls, etc.; 4) 20 percent discounts on medical and dental services, diagnostics laboratory fees in private facilities; 5) 20 percent discounts in fare for domestic air, sea travel and public transportations.
Penalty for violating said Law include:
For first offenders, a fine of Php 50,000 to Php 100,000 and an imprisonment of two years up to six years;
For subsequent violations, an imprisonment of not less than two years to a maximum of six years and a fine of not less than Php 100,000 but not more than Php 200,000.
Upon filing the appropriate complaints and after due notice and hearing, the proper authorities such as OSCA may cause the cancellation or revocation of Business Permit, permit to operate and other similar privileges granted to a person or business entity.
Now, I would like to mention some of the establishment who have wrongly practiced said Law and I have receipts from the following establishments. These establishments include 1) Mom’s Small Hotel and Restaurant grants only 10 percent discount to Senior Citizens; 2) Han-han Convenience Store does not grant any discount; 3) FB Traveler’s Inn will only deduct Php 50 from their room rates.
I reported this to the OSCA President Simeon Caballero late in December 2014 but since then I still do not have any concrete solution, so I wrote and sought the assistance of our distinguished Committee on Senior Citizens and Veterans Affairs and up to now still awaiting positive action from them.
I personally believe that if our Local Government can put up an aggressive campaign the same as what they did to the ‘No Smoking Policy,’ then for sure this malpractice would stop immediately. Then, the Senior Citizens will feel proud that here in the City of San Carlos our local government headed by our City Mayor protects and care for the well-being of the thousands Senior Citizens in this city.
To conclude, I pray that our beloved Mayor would act on this soonest. As everyday passes by many ‘elderly’ will continue to be shortchange of justice by not getting the right discounts due to them.
Yours truly,
Concerned Senior Citizen
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