THE Filipino people, including the taxpayers and the ordinary citizens across the country, cannot second lines that tend merely to sympathize with the plight of vulnerable sectors.
What’s needed at this time of economic hardship brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is for the government to come up with a plan of action to help these sectors of society.
And people would rather that everybody support all-out efforts to meet the “mushrooming needs” of the nation’s millions of senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs).
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is crafting a policy aimed at ensuring that these Filipinos are able to avail of discount privileges even in online transactions.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista, a former military general, said his agency is undertaking the project in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) under Secretary Ramon Lopez.
Bautista said the national government, through the social welfare office, is coming up with the policy “para masigurado na hindi maaabuso ang mga pribiliheyo parasa bulnerableng sector.”
Senior citizens and PWDs are entitled to a 20 percent discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) on certain goods and services under Republic Act Nos. 9994 and 10754, respectively.
This also applies to transportation, recreation centers, and medical services, according to the DSWD.
Bautista said “ito ay patunay na isinalang-alang ng DSWD ang karapatan ng bulnerableng sektor ng lipunan at patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa iba pang implementing agencies.”
Admittedly, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, through concerned state agencies, is doing everything to further the interests of the elderly, PWDs and other special social sectors.
It’s a move in the right direction.
