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By James Konstantin Galvez, Reporter
Makati today can rightly boast of having the
country’s best programs for elderly citizens. City hall employees
affectionately refer to them as the “señorito” and “señorita”
citizens of the country’s financial capital because Mayor Jejomar
wants to treat them with old-fashioned reverence and affection.
Under Mayor Binay, Makati’s elderly citizens
enjoy privileges above and beyond those required by the national
law.
Seniors can watch movies for free in all
cinemas. At city government expense, Makati’s seniors get to watch
noontime TV variety shows live in the ABS-CBN and GMA studios under
Makati’s “Lakbay Saya ni Lolo at Lola” program.
Birthday cakes
The city delivers a cake to their homes on their
birthday and golden wedding anniversary; gives those who are poor a
midyear and Christmas gift of P1,000 and sponsors free field trips
and excursions to museums, historical and scenic sites in Metro
Manila and other parts of the country.
The city also sponsors regular out-of-town trips
for seniors. Batches of them have gone as cultural tourists to Cebu,
Baguio, the Bicol region, Corregidor and other places in Bataan,
Villa Escudero in Laguna, Fisherman’s Farm in Dasmariñas, Cavite.
The seniors have to be known to their barangay
officials who choose who of the able-bodied senior citizens get to
go on trips. The trips becomes a way for Mayor Binay’s
loyalists—he has maintained his high popularity rating among the
lower middle-class and poor—to bond and be rewarded.
As in every town and city where the officials
are executing the national senior-citizen laws, on application and
with the corresponding endorsement by local barangay chairman,
seniors get their white cards from the Office of Senior Citizens’
Affairs (OSCA). This, incidentally, is supposed to implement the
“National ID card program.”
Seniors also get their OSCA Makati Health Card
Program yellow cards from the Makati Health Department and their
blue cards from the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD).
White card
The white card is issued to elderly persons aged
60 and above by the national government through the city OSCA.
It qualifies holders to exemption from the payment of individual
income tax, provided that the taxable income does not exceed the
poverty level of P60,000, and to 20-percent discount from
transportation companies, hotels and lodging establishments,
restaurants, food shops and recreation centers. With a
medicine-purchase booklet given by OSCA, and a doctor’s
prescription (even for over the counter drugs), seniors are to be
given a 20-percent discount on the price of medicine.
This white card is also what the seniors use to
get free admission in movie houses anywhere in Makati City, and a
discount of at least 20 percent on the admission price to concerts,
circuses, carnivals, and any cultural, leisure and amusement hall.
Since August 2007, a live concert of Armida
Siguion-Reyna’s Aawitan Kita show—held at the University of
Makati Mini-Theater—has become a regular form of entertainment for
the elderly as part of the city government’s effort to enrich and
enliven their remaining years.
Makati’s “free movies” is so appreciated
that some local government units in Metro Manila and in the
provinces have copied it.
The number of free movie tickets issued to
seniors in the first three quarters of 2007 has already exceeded by
12 percent the full-year total in 2006. In the third quarter of 2007
alone, 60,779 free movie tickets were issued to Makati’s senior
citizens.
The most number of tickets was issued by the
Ayala Center cinemas, with 30,709 movie tickets issued to senior
citizens who presented their Makati senior citizens cards. Rockwell
cinemas gave seniors 14,353 tickets; ABC Tri-Cinema, 8,312; and
Cinema 2000, 7,410 tickets.
City pays 25 percent share
As its 25-percent share of the total cost of
tickets for the third quarter, the city government paid the cinema
owners P1,922,226. Ayala, owners of Glorietta 1 and 4 and Greenbelt
1 and 3, received P1,015,590.25; Rockwell for Powerplant cinema,
P516,002; SM cinema, operator of ABC Tri-cinema, P180,661.25 and
Walter Mart for Cinema 2000, P209,972.50.
Taguig, Pasig and Quezon cities have their own
“free movie for seniors” program. But it is only in Makati where
senior citizens have 100-percent free access to movies any day.
Blue card
Senior citizens who are BLU cardholders also
receive a cash gift of P1,000 twice a year, which helps augment
their budget for food and medicine. The cash gift is given every
June and December. The cash gift program began in 2003.
The city government released over P34 million
for the mid-year cash gift in June and P35 million as year-end cash
gift in December 2007.
The BLU card program also gives beneficiaries
financial assistance of P3,000 upon the death of the cardholder.
Over P2.5 million was released to the beneficiaries of 835 BLU
cardholders who died last year.
To date, there are around 48,000 senior citizens
registered in the city. As of October, 39,512 seniors were BLU
cardholders.
Recently, the Makati Social Welfare Department
introduced another program for their enjoyment and benefit—a
monthly “welcome party” for residents turning 60. It is also
during this welcome party that celebrants receive their BLU card.
Yellow card
Through the yellow card, Makati’s elderly
enjoy subsidized medication from the Ospital ng Makati and the
Makati Medical Center besides receiving free vitamins and
personalized “home service” health care from volunteer health
workers of the Makati Health Department.
Since July 2007, Mayor Binay has been urging
Congress to amend the expanded value-added tax (EVAT) law to exempt
senior citizens from the 12-percent EVAT on medicines, which he said
has prevented them from fully enjoying the 20-percent discount
granted by the Expanded Senior Citizens Act, or Republic Act 9257.
Binay said the imposition of the EVAT,
particularly on medicines, has undermined the benefits of RA 9257,
which entitles all senior citizens to a full 20-percent discount on
the purchase of all goods and services, medical and dental services,
among others things.
“The 12-percent EVAT imposed on medicines
purchased by the elderly has, in effect, reduced the actual discount
given them to a mere 8 percent. This is an anomaly that goes against
the true spirit of Republic Act 9257, which is to recognize the
invaluable contributions of our senior citizens to society by
granting them special privileges that, at the very least, would help
them live comfortably,” Binay said.
Binay praised the Supreme Court for its decision
affirming the constitutionality of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act
of 2003, particularly its provision granting a 20-percent discount
on medicines purchased by the elderly.
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