Senatorial candidate and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday welcomed President Aquino III’s imminent signing into law of his measure exempting persons with disabilities from the payment of 12-percent value added tax on certain goods and services.
Attending the National Consultation on PWDs on House Bill 1039 expressed high hopes that the President will be able to show his “malasakit” to an estimated three million PWDs nationwide by affixing his signature to the measure, giving the green light to its implementation as soon as possible.“
“I am confident that the President will show his malasakit to our PWDs by signing into law HB 1039. We do not want to entertain the idea that this bill will be vetoed by the President because we believe the President has a good heart for our PWDs,” Romualdez told before the crowd attended by some members of the PWD community.
Romualdez, president of Philippine Constitution Association said he believes the enactment of the measure will level the playing field among “marginalized” sectors of society.
Romualdez also thanked the mass media for helping him advance his advocacy for the PWDs.
“This measure has already been on the desk of Malacañang and will soon become a law. Let us unite and work together to make the enactment of this measure possible,” the Leyte lawmaker said.
This developed as several groups representing the PWDs in the country backed Romualdez’s appeal to the millions of PWDs not to turn his back on them by signing the bill into law.
President of Tahanang Walang Hagdan Noli Agcoaili appealed to the President to affix his signature to the measure.
“We urge the President to sign this measure that will help uplift our living condition,” Agcoaili said.
Chief operating officer Joy Garcia, of the Tahanang Walang Hagdan, echoed a similar appeal to the Aquino government.
“PWDs deserve to have this privilege because we are a minority and we are not given the chance to work in the mainstream. So give us a chance,” Garcia said.
Lawyer Jessica Magbanua of the Office of the Solicitor General, a handicapped, said the perks and priviledges extended to senior citizens like the 12 percent VAT exemptions should also be extended to the PWDs because “we both in a similar situation.”
“We don’t see any cogent reason for the government not to grant us the benefits we deserve like our senior citizens. We are similarly situated. We hope the President will heed our call for him to finally sign into law the PWD bill,” Magbanua said.
Romualdez is the principal author of HB1039 which seeks to amend Section 32 of Republic Act (RA) 7277, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability, as amended by RA 9442.
Romualdez earlier said his proposal is an equalizing measure because this will accord PWDs exactly the same privilege enjoyed by senior citizens who are exempted from the VAT by virtue of RA 9994.
The bill exempts PWDs from paying the value-added tax (VAT) on top of the 20 percent discount they are entitled to on certain goods and services.
It also allows a “relative of a PWD” up to the 4th civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, to claim a tax deduction of P25,000 in his annual income tax.
The proposed VAT exemption shall apply on the medical and dental services; purchase of medicines in all drugstores; public railways, skyways and bus fare; admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other places of culture, leisure and amusement; and all services in hotels and similar lodging establishments, restaurants and recreation centers.
At present, under the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, PWDs are entitled to a 20 percent discount on certain goods such as medicines, hospital and laboratory work, hotel stay, local transport fares and theatre admission.
Romualdez said the bill is in response “to the reality that millions of families today have turned their residences into homes for the aged or infirm.”