Las Piñas City Provides FREE Initial Parking for Senior Citizens and PWDs (Persons With Disability)
The City Government of Las Piñas announced today that starting December 1, 2019, senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs) will be exempted from paying parking fees on the first three hours in all business establishments and offices within the city’s jurisdiction as a result of a new ordinance that was approved.
City Ordinance No. 1623-19, otherwise called the “Senior Citizens and Persons with Disability (PWDs) Free Initial Rate Parking Fee Ordinance of 2019,” as proposed by Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery grants the privilege to the elderly and PWDs who are either driving or on board the vehicle that will park in any commercial or pay parking areas.
“This is one way of providing social services to our senior citizens and PWDs because their welfare is one of our priorities,” Vice Mayor Aguilar-Nery said.
She also acknowledged the cooperation and support of the city’s business establishments in granting the exemption to the senior citizens and PWDs of Las Piñas.
The exemption covers the first three hours of the prescribed parking fee, while the corresponding rate shall be imposed for the succeeding hour. But no charges shall be collected in the case of flat rate policy provided it does not exceed four hours.
Parking booth attendants or cashiers who may be found violating the ordinance shall be meted penalties ranging from P1,000 to P3,000 with 30 days to a maximum of six (6) months imprisonment, depending on the discretion of the court.
Mayor Imelda Aguilar welcomed the passing of the ordinance by the City Council. She said that “the ordinance will contribute to the Tuloy-tuloy na Serbisyo Program of her administration in promoting the welfare of the senior citizens and the PWDs of Las Piñas.
The City of Las Piñas has more than 80,000 registered senior citizens and 15,200 PWDs who are enjoined to avail of the privilege and other benefits as mandated by Republic Act No. 7432, known as the Senior Citizens Act of 1995.
Between one hundred eighty to two hundred people participated in the Bingo Socials fund-raising event of the Century Club of Tahanan which was held on October 12 at the covered court in Tahanan Village, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City. The numbers were confirmed to me by Century Club’s president Florencia Umali who spearheaded the organizing of the games.
I personally looked around and took pictures for this article you are reading. Fortunately for me, I arrived just before City Councilor Tess de Asis delivered a short speech to the participants and the spectators. De Asis, who is best known in the City Government for her enduring legacy on local education and is now serving her third and final term, contributed to the prizes.
A raffle prize winner posing for a picture with Century Club president Florencia Umali and City Councilor Tess de Asis.
Apart from the councilor, Umali confirmed to me that Mayor Edwin Olivarez, Vice Mayor Rico Golez and Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez respectively donated to the cash prizes of the event. Congresswoman Joy Tambunting donate a mobile phone while City Councilors Wahoo Sotto, Giovanni Esplana, Bong Benzon, Jackie Bustamante-Mendoza, Binky Favis and Jean Yllana donated in kind resulting multiple prizes for winners.
Meanwhile, the Tahanan Homeowners Association (THA) and Martin Guzman of Village Cafe gave gift certificates to the event.
The participants were greeted personally by Councilors Sotto, Benzon and Congressman Eric Olivarez when they respectively visited the event. Olivarez even performed a dance to amuse the participants.
A view from one side……and from another side.
Umali told me that her club not only managed to raise some funds but also witnessed the happiness the participants had playing the bingo games and the smiles on the faces of very fortunate individuals who won cash prizes or raffle prizes. She added that the Bingo Socials proved to be effective in helping members of the local community get to know the new homeowners and, at the same time, promote camaraderie between them.
Ultimately the Bingo Socials brought the residents together which fit in nicely with Tahanan Village’s legacy of being one of the most neighbor-friendly villages not only in Barangay BF Homes but in South Metro Manila as a whole. The fact that several public officials of the city contributed to the prizes and made guest appearances showed that Century Club is a highly credible private club of senior citizens to them. Just a few months ago, no less than Office of Senior Citizen Affairs of Parañaque (OSCA-PQUE) officer-in-charge Dante Pacheco attended Century Club’s general meeting and made notable announcements.
Congratulations to Century Club for an event nicely pulled off!
Hi everyone! It’s me again with another Barangay BF Homes community and South Metro Manila update for you all.
If you like playing bingo games and want to win a prize or two, then Tahanan Village in Parañaque City is your next destination as the Bingo Socials will be held there on October 12 at 5PM. The precise venue is the covered court of the village which is just a short walk away from the clubhouse of the Tahanan Homeowners Association (THA).
This is what a ticket of the Bingo Socials of CCTI looks like. (photo published with permission)
Organized by the Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. (CCTI), the Bingo Socials is a fund-raising event that will support the club’s upcoming projects.
According to Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. president Florencia Umali, tickets are currently available and still for sale. Tickets are priced at P50 each while the block-out tickets are sold at P100 each.
“We have ten games and two block-out (blackout) for the grand prize,” she said. Umali stressed that details about the prizes will be announced soon as they are still finalizing them.
For those of you who are living outside of Tahanan Village, here is the good news – non-residents (visitors) are welcome to enter the village, buy tickets and play in the Bingo Socials. If you are a non-resident driving a vehicle that does not have a Tahanan Village sticker, you just have to tell the village gate guard you will play in the bingo, then leave your ID card so that you can enter.
If you have inquiries or you intend to buy tickets and play in the bingo, contact CCTI president Florencia Umali now at mobile phone number 0920-9046732.
For the newcomers reading this, Century Club of Tahanan, Inc. is a private club of senior citizens who live inside Tahanan Village. The club is recognized by the the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs of Parañaque City (OSCA-Parañaque).
Prominently displayed along Aguirre Avenue inside BF Homes subdivision, Parañaque City is this sign emphasizing Philippine senior citizens’ entitlement to 20% discount and exemption from 12% value-added tax.
Are you a senior citizen whose benefit under the national law was denied by a local business? Are you aware of the benefits for senior citizens under Republic Act Number 9994 (Full title:An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens, further amending Republic Act No. 7432, As Amended, Otherwise Known As “an Act To Maximize The Contribution Of Senior Citizens To Nation Building, Grant Benefits And Special Privileges And For Other Purposes. Short title:Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010) whenever you purchase food and/or beverage in a restaurant?
Why did I ask you these questions and mentioned RA 9994? It’s quite simple – a senior citizen in BF Homes, Parañaque City filed a formal complaint against a certain food joint which refused to grant him his exemption from the 12% Value-Added Tax (VAT) when he dined at the said joint.
Here is the story with details from documents I acquired.
On June 10, 2019, Jose Luis Matti and his daughter dined at a restaurant (clue: a burger joint whose business name will be revealed in due time) along Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes subdivision, Parañaque City. He ordered food and drinks and, under law, the discounts are limited only to food and drinks he ordered for his consumption as he is a senior citizen
The problem was that, according to Matti, the restaurant applied the 20% discount for senior citizens and yet denied him his mandated benefit of exemption from the VAT. In his June 17, 2019 letter addressed to restaurant’s owner, Matti said that the restaurant personnel he encountered on June 10 claimed they were instructed (by the owner) not to give him the 12% VAT exemption. Photocopies of the receipts were included on the said letter.
As a result, Matti filed a formal complaint against the restaurant at the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs of Parañaque City (OSCA-Parañaque) urging officer-in-charge Dante Pacheco to take action against the food joint (as per his July 12, 2019 letter to Pacheco received by the said office).
A hearing between Matti and the food joint’s owner will happen very soon at OSCA’s office at Parañaque City Hall.
I visited the restaurant along Aguirre Avenue inside BF Homes to try to meet the owner and get feedback directly from him but the personnel told me over the counter that their boss was out of town.
Understanding the legal aspect
It is stated under RA 9994 (Rule IV, Article 7) that senior citizens shall be entitled to the grant of twenty percent (20%) discount and to an exemption from the value-added tax (VAT), IF APPLICABLE, on the sale of the goods and services covered by Section 1 to 6 of this Article, from all establishments for the exclusive use and enjoyment or availment of senior citizens.
Section 3 (Rule IV, Article 7) includes restaurants, hotels, recreational centers, places of leisures and funeral services with regards to the above mentioned 20% discount and VAT exemption.
Item b (under Section 3, Rule IV, Article 7) focuses on restaurants. It states that the discount shall be for the purchase of food, drinks, dessert, and other consumable items served by the establishments offered for the consumption of the general public.
Item c states for Dine-in services under paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section 3, and Section 4, paragraph 2 of Article 7,the privilege must be personally availed of by the senior citizen as defined under these Rules, and no proxies or authorization in favor of another person who is not a senior citizen will be honored.
Item e states Food, drinks and other consumable items provided in Section 3 (a) and (b), and Section 4, paragraph 2 of Article 7 purchased by the senior citizen shall be processed separately as an independent transaction from his/her non-eligible companions to ensure that it is his/her exclusive consumption and to enable computation of the 20% discount and the exemption from the Value Added Tax (VAT), which only the senior citizen is entitled to.
However, if the group of diners is composed entirely of senior citizens, all of whom present valid senior citizens IDs, each shall be entitled to a 20% discount and exemption from Value Added Tax.
Conclusion
This is an ongoing community development and if any breakthroughs happen, an update will be posted.
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UPDATE!
The hearing between Mr. Matti and the restaurant at the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs of Parañaque City (OSCA-Parañaque) at City Hall scheduled for August 20, 2019 did not push through due to the absence of the restaurant owner.
As such, the hearing will have to be rescheduled.
The restaurant accused in this conflict is Big Brat Burger.
130 Patients Served With Free Services in BF Homes Medical Mission
The Don Tomas Aguirre Senior Citizens Center bustled with activity on April 27, 2019 as the medical mission attracted several members of the local community who got served with free services. Present were the personnel of MedTek and the directors of the BFPE&BCI.
A medical mission titledCare to Sharewas held from 6AM to 3PM on April 27, 2019 at the Don Tomas Aguirre Senior Citizens Center along F. Cabarrus street, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City which attracted a total of one hundred and thirty patients.
A joint project of the BF Parañaque Entrepreneurs & Business Club, Inc. (BFPE&BCI) and services provider MedTek with the participation of the Senior Citizens Association of Barangay BF, Inc. (SCABBI), Care to Share saw 112 patients avail of laboratory testing (which includes blood extraction), 90 patients who had their urine checked, 75 patients who had a medical check-up (with medicine given afterwards) and 42 patients who had their eyes checked (with eyeglasses provided afterwards).
All the services were rendered for free. Apart from the members of SCABBI, there were other people from the local community who just walked in and were happily accepted by the organizers to avail of the services.
A patient was instructed to fill up an application form as part of the process to avail of free services.A medical doctor listens to a patient.A patient has his blood extracted for medical testing.
Services aside, the patients were given free meals, drinks and snacks provided by varied sponsors of the medical mission. The meals were provided by MedTek, BFPE&BCI, Mama Lou’s, Little Quiapo, Ms. Julie Dacanay and Flaming Wings (through a concerned senior citizen who expressed his generosity for the local community). As if that was not enough, brand new electric fans were raffled off to some very lucky winners among the patients which lifted up their spirits. A “Sorbetero” was contracted for the day by BFPE&BCI to provide ice cream to everyone.
Not only that, the patients were fortunate to meet Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez who took time out from his busy schedule to observe the medical mission.
Barangay BF Homes chairman Paolo Marquez (standing 3rd from left) with BFPE&BCI Vice President Frank Vida (leftmost), BFPE&BCI President Don Munoz (2nd from left), Director Bobby Sta. Maria (2nd from right) and the MedTek personnel and volunteers posed in a group picture, led by Medtek’s Dra. Bing Kawano.
“The medical mission is an endeavor of MedTek and BFPE&BCI proving their corporate social responsibility to our constituents. Of course, we in the barangay support them and we appreciate any endeavors that they plan to do in the future,” Marquez said in my interview with him.
For his part, SCABBI president Elpidio Padama stated that the number of patients exceeded the mark of 100 because of other senior citizens who made referrals. Several directors of SCABBI were present and were thankful to the organizers that many of their members got served for free.
Already a successful event, Care to Share undeniably gave back to the local community in Barangay BF Homes in partnership with MedTek headed by its President Mr. Seling Catral and BFPE&BCI. The business club, led by its incumbent President Don Munoz (Pergola Mall, Noah’s Place), truly made its presence felt as a highly credible and generous business association focused on the BF Homes communities.
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