PAGBABAGO SA SENIOR CITIZEN LAW

KAILANGAN baguhin ang Senior Citizen Law upang saklawin ang online selling, o iyong mga nagbebenta ng produkto at serbisyo sa pamamagitan ng Internet. Hindi kasi nasakop ang online selling dahil wala pa ang ganitong uri ng pagtitinda nang ipasa ang RA 9994, o ang Senior Citizen Law. Pakibasa ang sumusunod na artikulo upang maunawaan ang aming punto:

SENIOR CITIZEN LAW SHOULD COVER ONLINE PURCHASES

The law on senior citizens’ discounts have loopholes, which Congress should address as part of remedial legislation.

This is the experience of a Filipino senior citizen friend , who bought tickets online for the concert billed as “Love Letters” featuring Basil Valdez and other Filipino entertainers on February 14 at Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati City.

Ms. T (not her real name) is a Filipino citizen who resides in New York City. She makes it a point to return to the Philippines every year mainly to renew and strengthen ties with her family here and homeland and, at the same time, escape the harsh winter in New York City.
She bought two tickets, one for her and the other for her Manila-based special friend, who will serve as her consort for the night. Fearful that tickets would be sold out by the time she went to Manila, she did the purchase through an online facility. The purchase took place on Jan. 6 , 2026 or shortly before her arrival in Manila on Jan. 8. The online purchase showed loopholes in the RA 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Allow us to narrate details of Ms. T’s travails in her online purchase of the concert tickets.

She purchased the two tickets on Jan. 6, 2026, New York City time, from TicketWorld, a local marketing agent firm that does online sale. Ms. T noticed that TicketWorld does not have any facility window to allow senior citizens to avail of the usual discounts under RA 9994.

TicketWorld accepted her purchase and the following details serve as its paper trail. Customer ID 11305857; the Order Date is Jan. 6, 2026; and it was given the Order Number 26010643.

On the same day of purchase, Ms. T wrote a letter, demanding the 20% discount because she and her special friend are both senior citizens. While TicketWorld was quick to approve the order and accept the payment, it did not immediately respond to her demand letter.

She made a followup to her letter on Jan. 8, after she arrived in Manila from NYC. TicketWorld responded only on Jan. 10, 2026, a Saturday. In its reply, TicketWorld advised Ms. T that it was accepting her reason that she and her special friend deserve the 20% discount for senior citizens, but told her she only has four hours to avail of the discount, indicating that failure to do so would mean the forfeiture of what rightfully belongs to them as senior citizens under the law.

Although TicketWorld offered its “sincere apologies,” for its failure to respond appropriately to her earlier demand letter and its followup, it said: “A Senior/PWD discount is not applicable online.” This is what we feel is a violation of the RA 9994. We read the law and nowhere does it say that online purchases are not subject to discounts for senior citizens. It so happened that online purchases were not available during the time the law was enacted. But it does not mean exemption from coverage of the law.

TicketWorld further said: “In availing the discount, it is available only at the TicketWorld outlet or by emailing us before purchasing the ticket because you need to present the ID. We have the option to pay via payment link, which we can help you avail the discount.” In brief, the 20% discount is not automatically available to senior citizens even after he has shown his Senior ID.

The option to pay via payment link is another procedural layer that makes the availment of the discount difficult. This is what Ms. T considered as ridiculous. There is no serious attempt to give what is due to her as a senior citizen under the law.

The continuation of TicketWorld’s reply makes the situation worse, as it does not help to clarify issues. Please read: “We also asked the promoter if they can still allow this.

“They were able to approve this one-time request.

“To proceed, you need to repurchase the ticket/s.

We’ll send you a payment link for the discounted ticket/s.

Your 1st transaction/ticket/s will be voided, and the refund will automatically be credited on your account in 4 to 5 weeks or longer because it depends on your issuing bank.

“Kindly send the ID’s.

Once paid, we’ll void the first purchase and transact the Senior ticket/s.

Thank you.

“Please advise so we can send you a payment link.

Repurchase is until 4:00 pm, today only.”

Ms. T could only laugh at the sarcasm implied in TicketWorld’s reply. It was short of saying that her demand for availment of what the law provides for senior citizens is denied.

On Jan. 12, a Monday, Ms. T and her special friend went to the office of TicketWorld on the 3rd Floor of Liberty Plaza Building in Makati City to demand the 20% discount, but an office staff named Jenny advised them that it could only be made available after a month. That was part of their process. This is triple ridiculous in Ms. T’s judgment.

Congress should find ways to amend the law to require the automatic availment and enforcement of the 20% discount and exemption from the 12% E-VAT in online sales of services and products that are identified in the RA 9994.

Congress should avoid a situation when sellers doing online sales circumvent the law.