Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte called on the Department of Health (DOH) to look into reports that certain drug stores refuse to grant discounts to senior citizens who do not have their purchase booklets.
“The DOH and other government offices need to check on the compliance of drugstores with DOH Administrative Order 2024-0017 and to crack down on erring establishments, as the reported refusal of certain pharmacies to sell prescription medicines to elderly Filipinos is a blatant breach of Republic Act 9994,” Villafuerte said.
“I am at the same time appealing to the DOH and the other appropriate agencies to consider expanding this new privilege by similarly allowing PWDs (persons with disabilities) to present only their IDs and doctors’ prescriptions, and no longer their purchase booklets, when availing of their same price discounts in their purchases,” Villafuerte said.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa announced on Dec. 23, 2024, the release of DOH AO 2024-0017 removing the requirement for senior citizens to present their purchase booklets to avail of their discounts when buying their medicines in drugstores.
RA 9994, or the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010,” entitled Filipinos 60 years of age and above to a 20 percent discount plus exemption from the 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) when they buy their medicines, provided they have with them their doctors’ prescriptions along with their senior citizen IDs and purchase booklets issued by the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCAs) in their localities.
PWDs are entitled to the same discounts on their prescription medicines under RA 10754, or the “Magna Carta for Persons with Disability” of 2015.
Doctors’ prescriptions are needed for seniors and PWDs to avail of their medicines, including maintenance drugs for hypertension and diabetes, among others.
Villafuerte said that about a week after Herbosa’s announced release of DOH AO 2024-0017, there was a media report about the refusal of certain drugstores to honor the discounts for senior citizens, as mandated by RA 9994, who did not present their purchase booklets when doing their OTC purchases.
DOH spokesman Albert Domingo was quoted as saying in that media report that RA 9994 provided for penalties against establishments that refuse to grant the 20% discount and VAT exemption to seniors.
Villafuerte noted that Section 7 of RA 9994 slaps on first-time violators a fine of P50,000 to P100,000 and jail time of two (2) to 6 years, and a fine of P100,000 to P200,000 and imprisonment of 2 to 6 years also for subsequent offenses.
Erring establishments face the cancellation of their franchises or business permits as well, he said.