Benguet town sets public hearing on senior citizens’ benefits

August 6, 2017 Provincial

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET – A public hearing providing guidelines on the granting of discounts to senior citizens is set in the afternoon of August 15 at the municipal hall.
Councilor Roderick Awingan, who authored the “La Trinidad Senior Citizen Special Discounts,” ordinance, said there’s a need to consolidate all guidelines issued by the different government agencies on availing of discounts to allow the elders to better understand their rights and benefits provided under Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.
“We are doing this to prevent confusion and allow the senior citizens to properly receive and avail of the benefits under the law,” Awingan said.
In his proposed ordinance, he stated that all necessary issuance and guidelines shall be consolidated in a single document which will embody all the appropriate regulations for the implementation of the discount privileges for senior citizens in the municipality as provided by RA 9994.
“With these different guidelines issued, our constituents are more often confused. That’s why our aim in this proposal is to come up with a single with specific guidelines for our stakeholders to be guided accordingly,” Awingan said.
Awingan’s proposal defined “basic necessities” as the goods or products considered as vital needs or daily needs of consumers for their sustenance and existence. Prime commodities are goods which are not considered as basic commodities but are essential to the consumers. Specific discounts from the hotels, lodging houses, LPG dealer, electrical supplies, steel wire, and medicines are also included in the ordinance.
Awingan said that during the public hearing, all the different guidelines issued will be presented and will be discussed to inform those who do not know them yet.
“I hope that our stakeholders especially our senior citizens and business establishment owners will attend the public hearing for us to hear their comments and suggestions,” he said.
Awingan explained that the public hearing aims to gather information and other related concerns of the senior citizens, business establishment, and stakeholder regarding the implementations of the senior citizens law.
RA 9994 states that the government may grant special discounts in special programs for senior citizens on their purchases of basic necessities and prime commodities.
RA 7581 or the Price Act however expanded the definition of the terms basic necessities and prime commodities. Dionisio Dennis Jr./PNA / ABN