File photo from NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to hold today (Monday) the first in a series of online consultations on the planned increase in discounts on basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) purchased by senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Up for review and possible revision is the DTI’s joint administrative order with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Energy so that the discount ceiling for BNPCs will be raised to P125 per week from the current P65.
Seniors and PWDs are entitled to a special 5-percent discount on the regular retail price — without exemption from the value-added tax — of basic necessities under DTI-DA Administrative Order No. 10-02.
These discounts cover basic goods and prime commodities or typical items that senior citizens and PWDs consume daily.
These include rice, corn, bread, meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cooking oil, sugar, vegetables, fruits, onions, and garlic, as well as fresh and processed milk, except medical-grade milk.
Also included in this category are canned fish and other marine products, coffee, bottled water, laundry soap, detergent, candles, and salt.
On the other hand, the roster of prime commodities includes dried pork, dried beef, poultry meat, fresh dairy products, as well as onion and garlic, among others.
Likewise eligible for the discount are manufactured goods, such as processed meat, sardines, and even corned beef, except for the premium brands.
New order this month
Senior citizens and PWDs also stand to enjoy additional discounts on basic construction supplies, like cement, hollow blocks, and electrical supplies, including lightbulbs.
The DTI has set consultations in the morning with the different government agencies involved in implementing the changes, while an afternoon session has been allotted to hear from senior citizens and PWDs, as well as consumers.
The consultations will be held virtually with those who register through this link: Virtual Public Consultation.
Trade Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles, spokesperson for the DTI’s consumer protection group, said that they intend to finish the new joint administrative order before the end of this month.
READ: Bigger goods discount for seniors, PWDs set
“We will collate all the comments and try to reconcile everything. Hopefully, after that, we will come out with another revision of the joint administrative order. And then when everything is good, it will be signed by all of the secretaries of the three departments,” Nograles told reporters during a roundtable discussion last week in Makati.
After issuing implementing an interagency circular, the DTI will publish a comprehensive list of the items covered by the additional discount for seniors and PWDs to guide the public and the affected merchants.