SOME businessmen are opposing moves to do away with the booklet used in monitoring discounted purchases of senior citizens and persons with disability.
It added that if the purchase limit is lifted, most supermarkets would suffer as the markup is mostly less than 5 percent.
“Kahit sabihin mong malaking retailer, kung napakarami namang bibili na sa less 5 percent mahirap din ang magiging katayuan. Kaya panatilihin natin ang booklet at ang Senior Citizen card pati na ‘yung PWD card,” said Carlos Cabochan, the group’s president.
For the bigger Philippine Retailers Association, removing the booklet system can be open to abuse.
“Kung tanggalin po natin itong purchase booklet requirement, maaaring mangyari po ito na ‘yung isang mapagsamantalang tao ay tumalon mula from store A to store B to store C para bumili or at the same time mamili ng mga basic necessities na in excess sa kanyang requirements,” said PRA director Atty. Paul Santos.
“‘Yung tipong hindi na lang para sa kanya, baka pati sa buong pamilya niya makinabang na rin,” he said.
QR code
Meanwhile, the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Association of the Philippines suggested the use of the QR code system to replace the booklets.
The group said the DICT or any government agency could design the QR system which would be printed on the senior citizens or PWD ID.
This way, the pharmacies or stores can monitor the purchases without bringing the booklet all the time.
Mercury now doing away with booklet
Pharmacies have started to remove the 12-percent value added tax for some medicines related to specific illnesses as announced by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Mercury Drug also launched the Suki Card where seniors need not bring the booklet anymore every time they purchase selected medicines since the data is already stored in a centralized system. (ABS-CBN News)
