House Speaker Martin Romualdez revealed that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has approved the P500 monthly discount for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD).
Romualdez said the discount will be applied to groceries and prime commodities.
DTI officials led by Undersecretary Carolina Sanchez made the commitment to apply the discount to senior citizens and PWD.
“They met Speaker Romualdez Tuesday night and informed him that they are amenable to his request for additional discounts for the elderly and PWDs and that this would be implemented by next month,” said Romualdez.
The lawmaker previously sought a hike in the 5% discount to the elderly and PWDs every week in groceries.
“I am delighted over the imminent implementation of increased discounts for our senior citizens and PWDs,” Romualdez said.
President Bongbong Marcos previously signed the Expanded Centenarian Act which grants a P10,000 cash gift to an elderly citizen upon reaching the age of 80 and every five years thereafter until the age of 95.
“This initiative to provide additional discounts for senior citizens and PWDs demonstrates the commitment of President Marcos to promoting inclusivity and social justice,” said Romuladez.
The DTI said this is a joint effort between government agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy.
Sanchez said goods such as rice, corn, bread, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, vegetables, fruits, onions, garlic, as well as fresh and processed milk, except medical-grade milk will be covered by the discount.
