Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
EIGHTEENTH (18th) CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
House Bill No.
Introduced by: Deputy Speaker Jose L. Atienza, Jr.
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EXPLANATORY NOTE
Our laws defining the benefits of our senior citizens were all founded in
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the declared policies and objectives of our
constitution
to provide adequate
assistance and services to the elderly to promote or raise their standard of living
and an improved quality of life to maximize their contribution to nation building.
Thus, Section 11 of Article XIII is very explicit in that “the State shall adopt an
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which
shall
endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to
all the people at affordable cost. There shall be priority
for the needs of the
underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. Article XV, Section
4 of the Constitution
Further declares that it is the duty of the family to take
care of its elderly members while the State may design
programs of social
security for them.
Consistent with these declared policies and objectives, the undersigned's
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attention was called by an article written by Atty. Romulo B. Macalintal, a known
advocate for the rights of senior citizens (SCs) and persons with
disability
(PWDS), published in the Manila Times! and the Philippine Daily Inquirer2 where
he lamented how Congress abandoned our elderly and pwds" when we amended
Republic Act No. 9257 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003) and Republic Act
No. 9442 (An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7277, Otherwise Known As The
"Magna Carta For Disabled Persons"), which removed their privileges to a 20%
discount on toll fees under the radio frequency
identification devices (RFID)
system, by mere deletion of the word "skyways" from the amended law.
Indeed, a review of these laws clearly showed that what otherwise would
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have been granted to our elderly as part of their benefits to augment
their
expenses for transportation, was denied of them.
through
radio
frequency
identification
devices (RFID) or
similar
systems,
1ThedayCongressabandoned our elderly and PWDS- The Manila Times
This proposed legislation simply grants a 20% discount from toll fees paid
2Bringback20-percentskywaytollfeediscountforelderlyandPWDS| InquirerOpinion
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June 24, 2021
5:55 pm
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provided that the vehicle is registered under the name of the senior citizen in
order that this privilege may be availed of.
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Likewise, as pointed out by Macalintal, it will not be difficult to apply the
20-percent RFID discount.
For a load of, say, P1,000, a senior citizen may pay
P800 only, or the P200 discount could be added to his or her RFID card, giving
her or him a total load of P1,200 for a P1,000 RFID load purchase."
Thus, this bill seeks to restore the said benefits and privileges to our SCs
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and to rectify the wrong committed against them with the full assurance that we
will never abandon them in that their rights and privileges will always be our
concern. Whatever discount our senior citizens could derive from the application
of this legislation will surely redound to their benefits and welfare considering the
pandemic condition we are now suffering.
In view of the foregoing,
the
undersigned
respectfully
moves for the
immediate passage of this bill in order to immediately restore the said benefits
and privileges to our SCs and to recommend to the President tợcertify it as an
URGENT BILL tO expedite its passage.
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DEPUYY SEAKER JOSE L. ATIENZA, JR.
prefentativE,BUHAY Party-list
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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
EIGHTEENTH (18th) CONGRESS
Second Regular Session
House Bill No.
Introduced by: Deputy Speaker Jose L. Atienza, Jr.
AN ACT
GRANTING
CITIZENS,
FURTHER
AMENDING
FOR
THE
PURPOSE
SECTION
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OF
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7432, AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "AN ACT
TO
MAXIMIZE
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SENIOR CITIZENS To
NATION
BUILDING, GRANT BENEFITS AND SPECIAL PRIVILEGES AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES"
ADDITIONAL
BENEFITS
AND
PRIVILEGES
TO
SENIOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House ofRepreserntatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
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SECTION
1. Section 4(a)(5) of Republic
Act No. 7432, as amended
by
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Republic Act No. 9994, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
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"SEC. 4. Privileges for the Senior Citizens. -
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The senior citizens shall be entitled to the following:
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XxXX
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(a) xxx XXX
(5) in actual fare for land transportation travel in public utility buses
(PUBS), public
utility jeepneys (PUJS), taxis, Asian
utility vehicles
(AUVS),
shutle
services, SKYWAYS AND EXPRESSWAYS WHOSE
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TOLL
FEES
ARE
PAID
THROUGH
THE
RADIO
FREQUENCY
IDENTIFICATION
DEVICES (RFID) OR
SIMILAR
SYSTEMS and
public railways, including Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rail Transit
(MRT), and Philippine National Railways (PNR).
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IN THE AVAILMENT OF THIS PRIVILEGE, THE VEHICLE MUST BE
REGISTERED
IN
THE
NAME OF
THE
SENIOR
CITIZEN.
THE
DEPARTMENT
OF
TRANSPORTATION
AND
COMMUNICATIONS
(DOTC), LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT AUTHORITY (LRTA), PHILIPPINE
NATIONAL RAILWAYS (PNR), TOLL REGULATORY BOARD (TRB)
AND LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY
BOARD (LTFRE) SHALL ISSUE CORRESPONDING CIRCULARS OR
DIRECTIVES To THE PUBLIC LAND TRANSPORT SECTOR FOR
THE
COMPLLANCE
HEREWITH,
AS
WELL
AS
REQUIREMENTS
TO
THESE OPERATORS TO DISSEMINATE
INFORMATION ON THE
BENEFITS OF THE SENIOR CITIZENS BY POSTERS, HANDBILLS
OR PAMPHLETS ON BOARD THEIR VEHICLES;
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
THESE
RULES
TO
ENSURE
SECTION 2.
Separability
Clause.- If any part of this Act is declared
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unconstitutional or invalid such parts or provisions thereof not so declared shall
remain valid and subsisting.
SECTION 3.
Repealing
Clause.-
All laws, decrees, executive orders,
issuances or regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act shall hereby
revised or amend accordingly.
SECTION4. Effectivity Clause.- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
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