THE local chain of the coffee shop Starbucks is offering a 40 percent discount today to senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and other sectors of society to compensate for a blunder it committed when it tried to limit the 20 percent senior and PWD discounts and value-added tax exemption to one drink and one food item.
After being investigated by the House Committee on Ways and Means, Starbucks immediately suspended the policy last week and is now offering the one-day promo after the panel chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda urged its licensee Rustan Coffee Corp. to offer a drink and croissant to seniors and PWDs for a day as “as penance.”
Also covered in the one-day promo are national athletes, eligible solo parents, and medal of valor recipients.
Salceda earlier warned that the company may face prosecution for supposedly violating Republic Act No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and RA 10754, or the Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs.
The lawmaker welcomed Starbucks’ “compensatory effort to correct the mistake of unduly limiting the discounts to vulnerable sectors of society.” “This is above and beyond what we requested, covering even our honored veterans,” he said.
The panel’s probe was in compliance to Speaker Martin Romualdez’s request for a motu proprio investigation into the reports that some senior citizens and PWDs are being denied discounts provided for under the law.
The House leader cited the reported instances of violations of Republic Act (RA) No. 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and R.A. 10754 or an Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs, which provides benefits for seniors and PWDs.
During the resumption of the panel’s hearing yesterday, the committee was also assured by a representative of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) that millions of senior citizens and PWDs would soon enjoy a 20-percent discount on the use of expressways and skyways in Metro Manila, southern Luzon and northern Luzon.
Salceda suggested that instead of deducting 20 percent from the cost of an expressway or skyway radio frequency identification (RFID) card or its top-up load, an equivalent amount could be added to the card price or additional load.
“In other words, it would be an add-on. If you buy P5,000, you get P6,000, or P1,000 more, which is equivalent to 20 percent. There is no loss on the part of the expressway/skyway operator,” he said.
He said the vehicle on which the RFID sticker would be attached should be registered under the name of the senior citizen or PWD.
SMC operates the Metro Manila and Ninoy Aquino International Airport skyway system, South Luzon Expressway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.
The other toll roads in Luzon are operated by Metro Pacific Corp. These are North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Cavite-Laguna Expressway, Cavite Expressway, and NLEX-SLEX Connector.
No one spoke for Metro Pacific during the hearing.
The three committees also checked on compliance by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific on discounts for senior citizens, PWDs and students.
Representatives of the two airlines said there is an option in their websites for those concerned to avail themselves of the discounts.
Salceda said the long of list violators of laws on discounts and benefits included big malls, drugstores, supermarkets, and food and transportation service providers, including Food Panda and Grab.
Popular bakeshop chain Goldilocks, which Salceda said has been accused of limiting the 20-percent discount “to a slice for every cake purchased,” did not send a representative to the hearing.
