Senior citizens on the warpath

It appears that a lot remains to be done as regards the proper implementation of the Senior Citizens Law. For all the publicity that only recently was focused on the subject of valid and acceptable identification documents covering the elderly, some establishments, including respectable medical institutions, continue to make life difficult by insisting on their own interpretation of the law. Ignorance or bullheaded stubbornness is the only possible explanation for their unacceptable actions.

Last week, Norma G. Atienza, a retired Bank of America officer, wrote about the experience of her husband Tranquilino C. Atienza Jr., a senior citizen who was confined at the Capitol Medical Center (CMC). The family doctors are all connected with this hospital and so the facility is often availed of for medical problems.

Atienza writes: “At the time of checkout, CMC Billing Section’s Vangie Pipo refused to honor my husband’s senior citizen card as it didn’t reflect the word ‘Jr.’ I presented his driver’s license to show proof of his actual age. To my disappointment, she didn’t accept it (the license) and asked me for an affidavit or a new senior citizen card.”

Note: In the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9994, known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, Article 5.5 (Identification Document) reads: Any document or proof of being a senior citizen, which may be used for the availment of benefits and privileges under the Act. It shall be any of the following:

• Senior Citizens Identification Card issued by the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) in the city or municipality where the elderly resides;

• The Philippine passport of the elderly person or senior citizen concerned;

• Other valid documents that establish the senior citizen or elderly person as a citizen of the Republic and at least 60 years of age, which shall include but not be limited to the following government-issued identification documents: driver’s license, voter’s ID, SS/GSIS ID, postal ID.

As I have said in the past, ignorance of the law is no excuse for violations. It is the responsibility of the business establishment to be conversant and familiar with the laws affecting the conduct of their operations. Management should see to it that all employees are aware of legislation with some bearing on their clients.

Atienza’s letter continues: “When my husband had surgery on his left leg, CMC honored the same senior citizen identification card… to make matters worse, when I asked for the billing, not all items are net of 20 percent; some are net of 14 percent, 16 percent, and 18 percent only. And when I paid with a credit card, they imposed an additional 2.75 percent to cover doctor’s fees.”

Note: I am not aware of the exact details covering these billings, but the senior citizen discount of 20 percent on the sale of goods and services for the exclusive use or availment of senior citizens covers medicine and drug purchases, essential medical supplies, accessories and equipment, and professional fees of attending physicians in all private hospitals and medical facilities.

As for the additional 2.75 percent for doctor’s fees because of the use of a credit card, this is the first time I have come across such an imposition. The use of a credit card should not warrant any kind of additional charges as it would be tantamount to not fully honoring the card payment. Again, let me restate the law: “The 20 percent discount applies to purchases by senior citizens paying cash or through credit cards.” Any additional fees on account of credit card use is a violation of law.

That is not the end of this sad experience of a hapless senior citizen.

When Atienza went to the Osca in Quezon City to complain, she said, “The one in charge of complaints was of no help due to insurmountable matters to attend to…. being undermanned, they don’t have the ability to implement action.”

Note: Just to refresh the collective memory of the officers of Osca QC, among their numerous functions, as provided by the law, are the following:

• To serve as a general information and liaison center to serve the needs of the senior citizens;

• To monitor compliance of the provisions of the senior citizens law particularly the grant of special discounts and privileges to senior citizens;

• To report to the mayor, any person, natural or juridical, establishments, business entities found violating any provision of the senior citizens law.

If you visit Osca QC, or perhaps a similar office in other cities and municipalities around the country, you will find many tables that indicate the presence (somewhere) of warm bodies. But don’t expect too much help. The experience of Atienza is typical of how the office reacts to problems of the elderly.

For instance, we have always complained about the parking policies of SM North Edsa. (It reserves only a few slots for senior citizens and when these are occupied, senior citizens are required to pay for parking, in violation of a Quezon City Council ordinance on the matter.) Complaints aired regarding these violations appear to fall on deaf ears at Osca QC. Mayor Herbert Bautista should reassess the performance of this office to make it more responsive to the needs of the elderly.

Capitol Medical Center would also do well to institute re-orientation seminars for its employees to update their knowledge of laws concerning the rights and privileges of senior citizens.

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A group of senior citizens, all graduates of the Philippine Military Academy, have decided to take a stand on some of the issues facing the nation today.

The Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association would have been the proper forum for airing their views. Unfortunately, the association is dominated by active duty members and in view of the political nature of many of the subjects that they intend to tackle, they felt it best not to involve the entire association.

Some of the subjects could significantly impact on the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as possible constitutional changes.