Paying lip service to senior citizens

Elderly Filipinos Week came and went last week with only few other Filipinos outside the sector noticing. Or cared if they did notice. To be sure, there were some local governments that did come up celebrations and programs, with some giving recognition to milestone achievers. But by and large, the occasion came and went in a manner reflective of how seniors continue to be treated in this country.

Of course almost everybody now gives discounts to seniors, but largely on account of the law providing so and not because of the respect that the law intended to underscore and inculcate for the elderly. Just take a look at the 20 percent discounts provided by law. Virtually almost no establishment gives the exact 20 percent discount. They give discounts, all right, but almost never 20 percent.

The surprise is why the authorities have never acted on this anomaly when in fact it is easily verifiable. All the authorities have to do is ask an elderly person to go and eat in a restaurant and retrieve the cash slip after he pays. The authorities ought to be shocked by what they will see discounts that are often not even five percent.

This is because establishments have developed a system whereby they offer only certain items that are subject to discounts. It is never the entire menu that is discountable. In other words, the law that allows 20 percent discount on the gross is being grossly violated. But of course the seniors, often brought up in the old school and taught to be decent and respectful, are almost always apologetic in availing of the discount and are only too happy to have any amount slashed off the tab.

And here is one more glaring anomaly about senior citizens discounts that the authorities, whether from the senior citizens office itself or from other offices such as those for the welfare of women, which naturally must include the elderly in that sector, have never bothered to look into and address - the practice of honoring only senior citizens cards.

In fairness, there are indeed establishments that honor any government-issued card or license that clearly shows the age of the holder. These establishments honor passports, driver's licenses and other ID cards such as those of the GSIS, SSS, PRC, etc in the absence or in lieu of senior citizens IDs. Honoring these other cards is very clearly what is provided by law, specifically numbers 1, 2 and 3 of the paragraph on proof of age under Section 4 of RA 9994.

But there are also establishments that honor only the senior citizens ID, and this is another gross violation of the law and the authorities should pounce on these violators swiftly and strictly. There is a reason why some seniors prefer other legitimate government IDs to the senior citizens IDs. The senior citizens IDs have become too politically tainted, their issuance often just an excuse to court the votes of the seniors sector.