According to the Department of Trade and Industry, all senior citizens and persons with disabilities can get up to a 5% discount on purchases. They can get discounts on basic necessities and prime commodities on all of their transactions. They can make transactions online, or by phone (either by call or text messages). This regulation is created based on the release of the Joint Memorandum Circular or JMC number 01, series of 2022.
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This regulation is entitled as the Guideline on the Provision of the Mandator Statutory Benefit and Privilege of the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities on all of their purchases through online or eCommerce and a phone call or SMS. This is an additional discount that is given to senior citizens and also persons who have some disabilities. It is different from the regular discount which can be up to 20%. This regular discount will cover different goods and services.
According to the DTI consumer protection group undersecretary, Atty. Ruth B. Castelo, the benefits and all privileges are including the 5% discount on the BNPC (basic necessities and prime commodities). This discount can be used by senior citizens and also persons with disabilities. This discount is available all year round, it is not only available during the pandemic season. There are several things that you need to know about this discount.
In this article, we are going to discuss several things that you need to know, so you can know how to compute senior citizen discounts effectively or check here for additional information. You need to know some basic rules and regulations about this discount program. By knowing all of these regulations, you can get this discount legally without having to worry about preparing all the necessities to get a discount for buying your basic necessities and prime commodities in the Philippines.
Sean Martin D. Plantado, head of customer service at Digido.ph, notes that the government in the Philippines cares about senior citizens and is doing everything possible to improve their lives, including numerous bonus programs.
If you want to get this 5% discount, you are required to be a senior citizen or considered a person with disabilities. You have a maximum purchase amount that can reach up to PHP 1,300 per week for both offline and online transactions. There is no carryover of the unused amount that you can use for the following weeks. The amount that you are going to spend for the personal and also exclusive consumption of the senior citizens and people with disabilities. You are also required to spend at least 4 kinds of items from the BNPCs, including the recommended basic necessities and prime commodities.
Before you can get the discount, you are also required to declare to the merchant before you start placing orders. If you are registered as a senior citizen or a PWD, you also need to submit supporting documents There are some documents that you can submit before you can be eligible to get this discount. Some of these documents include a scanned copy of your ID, the front pages of the purchase booklet, and also the last pages of your purchase booklet. The same proof of the discount also needs to be presented upon the delivery of the orders and goods, especially when the purchase is made online or by text or by phone call.
What Are Included as the Basic Necessities and Prime Commodities?
You also need to know several things that are included as the basic necessities and prime commodities. The basic necessities may include but are not limited to, all kinds of rice, corn, all kinds of bread (not including cakes and pastries), fresh, canned, and dried fish, (including frozen marine products in many different types of packaging), fresh pork, beef, poultry meat, all types of fresh eggs, (not including the quail eggs), potable water in containers and bottles, fresh and processed milk (not including milk labeled as the food supplement), fresh vegetables, root crops, fresh fruits, locally manufactured instant noodles, coffee, all kinds of sugar, all types of cooking oil, salt, powdered soap, bar laundry, liquid soap, charcoal, firewood, any types of candles, household petroleum gas, and kerosene.
It is also important for you to know all the prime commodities that can be included in this discount program. Some of these prime commodities include flour, dried pork, canned pork, processed pork, poultry meat, dairy products, onions, garlic, toilet bath soap, vinegar, soy sauce, fertilizer, herbicides, poultry feeds, livestock feeds, veterinary products, paper, school supplies, Nipa shingle, Sawali, cement, GI sheets, clinker, hollow blocks, plywood, plyboard, construction nails, batteries (not including batteries for cellphone and automotive), electrical supplies, light bulbs, and also steel wires.
The DTI Consumer Protection Group is also called CPG. They issue the suggested retail price or SRP list for all of the NPCs through its consumer policy and advocacy bureau (CPAB). Under their jurisdiction, they monitor the price and also the supply amount of the basic necessities, such as canned sardines, processed milk, laundry soap, salt, coffee, candles, detergent, salt, bread, etc. They also monitor the price and supply of the prime commodities, such as canned pork, flour, beef, poultry meat, vinegar, soy sauce, toilet soap, school supplies, paper, cement, clinker, hollow blocks, batteries, light bulbs, electrical supplies, bottled water, batteries, steel wire, etc.
If you need help or want to get some more updated information, you can always call JMC 22-01. You can also click their website. If you have other consumer-related concerns and queries, you are also welcome to send an email to their official email address at [email protected]. You can also call One-DTI or 1-384) hotline. Their official representatives will be ready to help you answer any of your questions. They will help you get this discount. You can also ask them about how you can be eligible to get this discount and what types of documents you are going to submit before you can get approved for the discount program. You can visit the official website at dti.gov.ph for getting the latest updates about this program. The list of the BNPCs may be updated in the future, so you may want to take a look at their official website regularly.
