Five establishments deny senior citizens’ discounts

The Cebu City government is directing proprietors of establishments to explain why they allegedly denied discounts to some senior citizens. Five establishments — two pharmacies, a restaurant, a spa, and a gas station — are made to appear in a clarificatory conference before the City Legal Office (CLO) today and on Monday. Rolando Llaguno, chief of the Office of Senior Citizens’ Affairs (OSCA), said there were more complaints recently filed before their office, which they have yet to endorse to CLO. “There are now eight or even more pa, and these cases happened since niaging buwan lang,” said Llaguno. The recent complaint was filed yesterday, he said. In their complaint, the senior citizens accused the establishments of not granting them the 20 percent discount as stipulated in Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act. One of the supposed victims who happened to be a lawyer, Teodoro Almase, claimed that a restaurant in Banilad, Mandaue City, did not honor his and his wife’s senior citizen identification cards last March 18, when they were about to pay what they ate with their family. “We were told that we are not entitled to the discount because the food that we ordered was ‘a la carte’ and that they were under new management,” complained Almase. Another senior citizen, Virginia Woo, said that a pharmacy in the city also denied her a discount on the medicine prescribed by her doctor and insisted that she pay the exact amount. The pharmacy’s sales clerk allegedly told her that they would only honor the prescription issued within the month. However, but Woo’s was prescribed in February 18 and is good up to June 2014, the date for her next check up and laboratory work up. “I was told by the sales clerk that many senior citizens have already complained and promised to complain to OSCA, but nobody from City Hall inquired about their policy,” the senior claimed. Llaguno said this has challenged them to pursue the filing of the case. “So it is now the day of reckoning for (pharmacy’s name) nga tinud-anay ni’ng amo. We’re taking action against the establishments,” the OSCA chief said. The pharmacy management allegedly told the senior that they are not honoring the senior citizens’ cards as their prices for the medicine are already marked down, a reason which is unacceptable, said Castillo. “That does not justify. Then they shall write a letter, probably to the Congress that they be exempted from the law. Kung wala, then the law applies equally to all establishments. Kay wa man tay pilion ana,” the CLO chief pointed out. The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the establishments pending the explanation of the owners before the City. “So they want to really see it? I will recommend to the mayor, number one, file a criminal case against them. Number two, close their business,” CLO chief Jerone Castillo said sternly. Castillo said the businessmen have to appear in the clarificatory conference; otherwise, they will be presumed to be waiving their right to explain. “Then we can make the necessary action based on their absence and based on the complaint,” said Castillo.