Senior Citizens in Albay denied benefits

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Special Report: Senior Citizens, devalued, humiliated
Senior citizens in Albay denied benefits

By Rhaydz B. Barcia Correspondent

LEGAZPI CITY: Relentless defiance of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act by small drugstores is the main problem of the elderly here, said Abias Burce, president of the locally based Federation of Senior Citizens.

Even in some big drugstores, sales clerks often tell seniors the medicine they want is out of stock, and seniors claim they are lying.
Many businesses also ignore the law giving discounts to seniors—those age 60 or older.

The Legazpi City government is not using its powers to enforce the law, seniors charge. It has not even built the senior citizens’ center that another law requires municipalities to put up for the elderly.

Situationer

“[The] three giant drugstores of Legazpi religiously obey the law,” the sixty-nine-year-old Burce, a former barangay councilor, said referring to Mercury Drug, South Star and St. Jude. But he complained these drugstores limit how much medicine a senior citizen can buy for every visit.

Honorio Brimon, 65, a retired public school teacher who is Legazpi’s Disabilities-Affairs office coordinator, agreed with Burce but described a worse situation.

Brimon said sometimes stores do not bother to lie about not having medicines in stock. “Our worst problem here is the even though you’re complete with necessary documents to buy the prescribed medicines, the store staff will not let you buy what you need.”

“We have to go back to the store several times, which costs us more money and energy,” Brimon added. “It weakens our body, especially those of us who are frail and sickly.”

Brimon said he has been asking establishments for safe express lanes for the elders with disabilities—but to no avail. This despite the fact that Board Member Celso Aytona of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Albay sponsored an ordinance—which passed—requiring businesses in the province to install express lanes for seniors.

“They can hardly cope with the strenuous task of buying the basic goods and services for human subsistence,” Aytona said. “Even if they are given the 20-percent discount required by RA [Republic Act] 9257, also known as the Expanded Citizens Act of 2003, some of them cannot benefit from it. They are deterred from going to the stores where they know they will have a difficult time.”

His ordinance covers hospitals, drugstores, malls, restaurants, banks, grocery stores, amusement centers and theaters. Violators can have their business permit suspended.

P1-million pledge

On January 8, the officers of Legazpi’s Federation of Senior Citizens met with Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara and Dr. Butch Rivera, administrator of the Bicol Training and Teaching Hospital.

In that meeting, Bichara promised to “allocate a fund of P1 million for the establishment of a senior citizens’ pharmacy,” Burce said.

“This is our first time being to be recognized by a congressman from our own city,” Burce added.

“Rep. Bichara said this project will be put up as soon as possible to ease our problem. Our usual problem is that when salesladies see a senior citizen who has lined up to buy medicines, they tell us that the medicine we want is out of stock, but the truth is they are just keeping it for sale to nondiscount customers,” Burce added.

Angara’s bill

Another major concern of the elders in this city is how to help push the passage of Senate Bill 2569 proposed by Sen. Edgardo Angara. The measure calls for an increase in the senior citizens discount from 20 percent to 32 percent to offset the 12-percent expanded value-added tax.

The Albay Senior Citizens Association has passed a resolution urging Congress to support the Angara measure and is campaigning among other groups to do the same.

To date there are between 7,000 and 8,000 senior citizens in Legazpi, living in the city’s 70 villages. The oldest on record is a 93-year-old grandmother.
“Presently there are about 6 million of us elderly Filipinos nationwide who dedicated our productive years in the service of our country, our family and community,” Burce said. “It’s about time to recognize and honor the elders with affectionate concern in the remaining years of our lives.”

No center for seniors

Manny Dasalla, 79, center manager of the Federation of Senior Citizens in Legazpi, said his group has been seeking the help of city government to put up the senior citizens center.

There is a law—Republic Act 7876 approved on February 14, 1995—that says, “There is hereby established a senior citizens center, hereinafter referred to as the Center, in every city and municipality of the Philippines, under direct supervision of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, hereinafter referred to as the Department, in collaboration with the local government unit concerned.”

The centers’ functions are well defined:

* “To identify the needs of, training to be given to, and opportunities open for senior citizens in all cities and municipalities;

* “To initiate, develop and implement productive activities and work schemes for senior citizens in order to provide income or otherwise supplement their earnings;

* “To promote and maintain linkages with provincial government units and other instrumen­talities of government and the city and municipal councils for the elderly and the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines and other non­-government organizations for the delivery of health-care services, facilities, professional advice services, volunteer training and community self-help projects; and

* “To exercise such other functions which are necessary to carry out the purpose for which the centers are established.”

Mayor Noel Rosal has assured the elders that the Legazpi City government will donate land, but no funds are available to build a center.
Burce said Bichara has also pledged to allocate funds for the construction of the center as soon as Legazpi provides the land as Rosal has promised.