My parents are both Senior Citizens now and while they already enjoy the discounts they get when eating in restaurants or when buying their medicines, I’m also curious about the other benefits that they are entitled to.
That’s why I made my own research about the privileges and benefits of Senior Citizens in the Philippines and I’m glad to share these with you in this article.
20% Discount and VAT Exemption
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Medical-related privileges
- Medicine and drug purchases
- This includes the purchase of Generic or Branded medicines and drugs by or for senior citizens, including the purchase of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.
- Vitamins and mineral supplements that are medically prescribed by an attending physician for prevention and treatment of diseases, illness, or injury.
- Essential Medical supplies, accessories, and equipment
- This includes the purchase of eyeglasses, Hearing aids, Dentures, Prosthetics, Artificial bone replacements like steel, walkers, crutches, wheelchairs (whether manual or electric-powered), canes/quad canes, Geriatric diapers, and other essential medical supplies, accessories, and equipment by or for senior citizens
- Medical and dental services
- Medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory tests like X-Rays, computerized tomography scans, and blood tests, that are requested by a physician as necessary for the diagnosis and/or treatment of an illness or injury are subject to the 20% discount and VAT exemption.
- Professional fees of attending physician
- The fees of attending physician/s in all private hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics and home health care facilities shall be subject to the 20% discount and VAT exemption.
- Professional fees of licensed health workers providing home health care services
- Senior Citizens are entitled to the 20% discount and VAT exemption as endorsed by private hospitals or employed through home health care employment agencies
- Medicine and drug purchases
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Domestic Transportation
- The fare for domestic air, and sea travel, including advanced booking, shall be subject to the 20% discount and VAT exemption, if applicable.
- 20% discount for Senior Citizens when they purchase domestic flight tickets online. The discount does not cover lawful taxes and other fees and charges imposed in relation to domestic air travel. This is effective starting July 29, 2017.
- The fare in public railways, including LRT, MRT, and PNR, fares in buses (PUB), jeepneys (PUJ), taxi and shuttle services (AUV), are likewise subject to the 20% discount and VAT exemption, if applicable.
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Hotels and Restaurants
- Room Accommodation and other amenities such as hotel-based parlors and barbershops, restaurants, massage parlor, spa, sauna bath, aromatherapy rooms, workout gyms, swimming pools, Jacuzzis, KTV bars, internet facilities, food, drinks and other services offered in a hotel, beach, or mountain resorts.
- Discounted food, drinks, dessert, and other consumable items served by the establishments offered for the consumption of the general public.
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Recreations centers
- Discount in Recreations Center Fees shall be given to Senior Citizens
- Charges and rental for sports facilities or equipment, including golf cart rentals and green fees
- Venues for ballroom dancing, yoga, badminton courts, bowling lanes, table or lawn tennis, workout gyms, martial arts facilities.
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Admission fees in Places of Leisure
- Theaters, Cinema houses and concert halls
- Circuses, Carnivals, and other similar places of culture, leisure, and amusement such as museums and parks.
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Funeral and burial services
- The beneficiary or any person who shall shoulder the funeral and burial expenses of the deceased senior citizen shall claim the discount under this Rule for the deceased senior citizen upon presentation of the death certificate. Such expenses shall cover the purchase of:
- Casket or urn
- Embalming
- Cremation cost and
- Other related services such as viewing or wake cost, pick-up from the hospital morgue, transport of the body to intended burial site in the place of origin,
- The beneficiary or any person who shall shoulder the funeral and burial expenses of the deceased senior citizen shall claim the discount under this Rule for the deceased senior citizen upon presentation of the death certificate. Such expenses shall cover the purchase of:
Note: This discount is for the exclusive use and enjoyment of the senior citizen which means it is “for the senior citizen’s personal consumption” only.
Credit card payments
The 20% discount and VAT exemption shall also apply to purchases of goods and services by senior citizens paying through credit cards.
No double discounts
The Senior Citizen cannot avail of double discounts. If there is an ongoing promo of a product or service that the senior citizen wants to purchase, he or she has the option to avail of the establishment’s offered discount or the 20% discount for Senior Citizens.
If the senior citizen is also a person with disability (PWD), he/she can either use his/her OSCA-issued ID card or PWD ID card to avail of the 20% discount.
Other Privileges for Senior Citizens
Free medical and dental services in government facilities
- Medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory tests requested by the physician are provided free of charge to senior citizens.
- X-rays, computerized tomography scans, and blood tests
- Professional fees of attending doctors in all government hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics, and home health care services
Free vaccinations for indigent senior citizens
- The DOH shall administer free vaccinations against the influenza virus and pneumococcal disease for indigent senior citizen patients and the neglected, abandoned, unattached or homeless senior citizens in government-run residential homes, centers, and facilities.
Educational privileges
- Senior citizens who want to pursue their education including post secondary, post tertiary, as well as vocational or technical education in both public and private schools through provision of scholarships, grants, financial aid, subsidies and other incentives can avail of these educational privileges.
- This privilege also includes the support for books, learning materials, and uniform allowance.
- To avail of this, the senior citizen shall meet the minimum admission requirements.
Income tax exemption
- If the senior citizen is still working and he or she is considered to be minimum wage earner, he or she shall be entitled to exemption from the payment of the individual income tax.
Exemption from training fees
- The senior citizen is exempted from training fees for socio-economic programs conducted by private and government agencies subject to the guidelines issued by the DTI, the DOLE, the DA, the TESDA and the DOST–TRC.
- The individual meters of the utilities are registered under the name of the senior citizen residing in the household.
- The monthly consumption does not exceed 100 kWh (one hundred kilowatt hours) of electricity and 30 m’ (thirty cubic meters) of water.
- The privilege is granted per household regardless of the number of senior citizens residing in the same household.
- Proof of age and citizenship
- Proof of residence
- Proof of billing (should be under the name of the senior citizen for a period of one year)
Please take note also that there will be an annual renewal of the application to the utility provider.
Additional Government Assistance for Senior Citizens
Social Pension
- A monthly stipend amounting to Php 500.00 will be granted to indigent senior citizens. This is to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs.
Mandatory PhilHealth coverage
- All senior citizens shall be covered by the national health insurance program of PhilHealth.
Social safety nets
- Social safety assistance to senior citizens including food, medicines, and financial assistance for domicile repair will be available to them to cushion the effects of economic shocks, disasters, and calamities.
Death benefit assistance
A minimum of Php 2,000.00 Death benefit assistance shall be given to the nearest surviving relative who took care of the deceased indigent senior citizen until his/her death.
Laws on the Privileges and Benefits for Senior Citizens
- “An Act to maximize the contribution of Senior Citizens to Nation Building, Grant Benefits and Special Privileges and for other Purposes.”
- “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.”
- An Act providing for the Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for all Senior Citizens, amending for the purpose of Republic Act No. 7432, as amended by Republic Act No. 9994, otherwise known as the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.”
Aside from these benefits and privileges that Senior Citizens are entitled to, the municipality where he or she resides, may also offer other benefits which vary depending on the available funds of the city or provincial government.
Click here to read: P5,000 Medical Benefit for Senior Citizens in Quezon City
Please share this with the Senior Citizens in your household or those who may not be aware of these benefits so that they can also take advantage and avail of the privileges that they are entitled to.
greetings!
sir, i would like to inquire, regarding the 1,oook financial assistance to senior citizens, kung may exemption? kasi both parents ko matagal na retired. we live in talisay cebu city. my mother informed me, since 2010, wala siyang natanggap, pati father ko. so, nagwonder ako na kung may pension ka, hindi ka na raw pwede bigyan. mga tita ko sa badian cebu, walang natatanggap since they retired. please paki clarify. thank you.
hi, anong financial assistance po? which part in the article is that?
Hello po, ask ko po if, kapag ba may monthly allowance ang both senior parents galing sa anak,hindi po ba sila entitled sa monthly social pension na 500php.tnx po wala po sila any kind ng social services or insurances or whatever.
Ako po ay isang senior citizen wala pong trabaho at Meron po akong anak n Special Child Kasalukuyan nakikitira po kami sa Bahay ng asawa ng anak na may anak na Dalawa hindi ko po alam Kung San ko po kukunin ung png araw araw po nmin
hi po ask ko lang po na member pi ang mother ko ng señor citizen dito sa quezon city pero wala din po syang natatanggap na binipisyo for monthly po simula syang registered as a señor. pero nag bakasyon po sya sa mindanao ng tandag surigao del sur nong feb.2018 then after a month nagkasakit po sya then na admit po sya doon sa probinsya namin hanggang sya ay pumanaw na sa nasabing hospital. may bebepisyo parin po ba ang mother ko? kahit di sya dito na matay sa quezon city? asap…
Dear Sir,
Good day.
Lahat po ba entitled sa 500 php subsidy ng govt sa senior citizen. My mother is already 76yrs old san ho ba dpat nakukuha yan? At kailan nag start? If in taxi ho ba at nagpacheck up mother ko at kasama ako at hirap sia lakad pde discount sa taxi? thank you po.
Sir/Madam,
I am 61 years old, born February 12, 1957. Nagdadrive po ako ng sasakayan ko.
Gustong ko pong i clarify kung exempted kaming mga senior sa color coding.
Kasi po sabi ng isang traffic enforcer exempted po kami. Nung Friday po kasi color coding ako. Bakit po yong ibang traffic enforcer di ako hinuli kasi senior po ako pero yong isa po hinuli ako. Salamat po.
I am a senior citizen (62 years old by January 6, 2020) but still employed as a teacher in a private college in Davao City. Can I apply for a monthly pension offered by the government thru the barangay?
My mother lives with me. She is a survivor pensioner of PhP 3.ooo per month. Can she also apply for the pension as a senior citizen?
Sir/Mam,
May i ask if my legal officer who is a senior citizen receiving honorarium in our company EXEMPTED of the withholding tax on honorarium. Thank you.