Jose Rodel Clapano – The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines — With 177 affirmative votes and no negative vote, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading Wednesday House Bill 11400, or the proposed “Act Expanding the Coverage of the Privileges and Benefits Given to Senior Citizens.”
HB 11400 serves as the substitute bill for 24 individual measures seeking either additional or expanded benefits for the elderly.
Speaker Martin Romualdez cited the key provisions of the bill, which include amendments to Section 3 of the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” by defining medicines, food supplements, private commercial establishments and parking fees covered as benefits granted to senior citizens.
“It includes online, offline, direct or indirect, first or third-party medium on the 20 percent discount privilege in the purchase of medicines, food supplements and vitamins, health professional fees, golf and country clubs, transport network services and toll fees on skyways, expressways of the senior citizens,” Romualdez said.
The measure likewise gives a 15 percent discount on the monthly utilization of electricity and water, provided that the monthly consumption does not exceed 200 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 50 cubic meters of water.
It also grants an 8.5 percent special discount on the purchase of basic necessities and prime commodities.
In addition, it allocates P25,000 to the nearest surviving relative of a deceased senior citizen. The amount shall be subject to adjustments due to inflation.
The measure also exempts senior citizens from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or color-coding scheme if they are driving or on board the vehicle. However, they should be able to present an identification document proving they are senior citizens at the time of apprehension.
It also grants parking fee exemption to all senior citizens on board, or driving a vehicle that is privately owned, upon presentation of a valid senior citizen identification card in all commercial and government establishments that charge parking fees.
Moreover, in the purchase of goods and services on promotional discount, the senior citizen can avail of the promotional discount or the discount provided in the bill, whichever is higher.
AICS institutionalized
With a unanimous vote of 176, the House of Representatives has passed on third and final reading Wednesday House Bill 11395 institutionalizing the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Romualdez noted that HB 11395 was a consolidation of 11 separate bills, manifesting the proponents’ acknowledgment of the importance of AICS and the necessity to institutionalize it.
Unlike other state assistance measures that are limited in scope, AICS is broader in coverage and therefore benefits more people, the House leader said.
The proposed law provides that AICS target beneficiaries would be “individuals or families who are indigent, financially incapacitated, stateless persons, repatriates, deportees, transients, vulnerable, disadvantaged or internally displaced persons or in crisis situations based on the assessment of the social workers of the DSWD.”
Each qualified beneficiary “shall receive financial, medical, transportation, food, material assistance and other assistance available in the DSWD, such as psychosocial support or intervention for dysfunctional families and their children who need trauma care and management and legal consultation,” based on the evaluation of DSWD social workers.
The bill requires appropriate documentation as provided in the AICS guidelines for all fund disbursements related to all types of assistance.
It also mandates the DSWD to issue implementing rules and regulations.
Funds for the implementation of the AICS program shall be included in the DSWD’s annual budget.
Source : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/06/07/2448717/house-oks-bill-expanding-seniors-benefits