SEN. Grace Poe has filed a proposed measure seeking to amend RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 that will give senior citizens bigger discounts on their monthly electric and water bills.
Senate Bill No. 1066 seeks to amend certain portions of RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 by giving the elderly a minimum of five percent discount on their first 150 kilowatt hours of electricity consumption and another five percent discount on their first 50 cubic meters of water consumption.
The proposed measure also seeks to exempt senior citizens from the Value-Added Tax.
In the measure’s explanatory note, Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said it is only fitting to give senior citizens additional discounts on electricity and water consumption since they are considered an “integral part of the Philippine society.”
“…Constitutional principles resonate with the right of the elderly citizens to … adequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health care through the provision of income, family and community support and self-help. There is, however, a need to further amend certain provisions of said law that its essence is properly captured in the language and that there is proper implementation thereof,” Poe said.
She said the “spirit of the law” in giving a five percent discount to senior citizens for their monthly consumption of electricity and water “has been hampered” since Section 4 (c) of RA 9994 limits its application to senior citizens whose consumption does not exceed 100 kwh of electricity and 30 cubic meters of water.
She said if a senior citizen consumes 100.1 kwh of electricity and 30.1 cubic meters of water per month, they would no longer be entitled to the five percent discount.
Poe said the privilege will be granted per household regardless of the number of senior citizens residing therein.
“Thus, there is a need to amend this law to apply the five percent discount to the first 150 kwh and first 50 cubic meters of water. Additionally, it would further benefit senior citizens if they are exempted from Value-Added Tax for these essential utility services,” she added.
