Who says there are free movies for senior citizens of Quezon City?

QUEZON CITY prides itself in allowing its senior citizens to watch movies for free on Mondays and Tuesdays. Small wonder all cinemas in the city teem with seniors on these two days.

What I don’t understand is why there is a charge of P1.25 each time a senior watches a movie. It was just 25 centavos last year when I first became eligible for this benefit. This August, P1 was added. The movie ticket states that the 25 centavos is for “C. Tax” while the P1 is for an “Ordinance.”

From what I learned in school, “free” means costing nothing, no charge—gratis. No matter how minuscule P1.25 is, anything ceases to be free once you charge even a single centavo. Quezon City is reputedly the richest city in Metro Manila, maybe even in the entire Philippines. Why does it still have to ask this measly P1.25 from its seniors?

—LUIS S. SANTOS JR., lssantosjr@yahoo.com