BY JOSEPH ALMER PEDRAJAS
Wushu star and Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist Agatha Wong expressed willingness to explain the national athletes’ discount if it’s needed just to make every establishment aware of the law.
“Establishments should just be made more well aware and I’m willing to explain what the law is and the penalties they will deal with if they don’t issue the aforementioned discount,” Wong said, referring to Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001.
“I’m still a national athlete and even if I’ve been rejected numerous times and denied of my discount and right, I will continue to avail of it,” she added.
Wong expressed disappointment on Saturday that not all establishments are aware of the law.
In a Twitter post, she said, it got “quite annoying to keep having to explain to managers that this kind of benefit [discount for qualified national athletes, coaches and trainers] actually exists.”
“Some are even doubtful,” she added.
Wong said that establishment not giving discounts for national athletes happened to her more than once. The latest was at a restaurant in Quezon City.
“I was eating at a restaurant with my family and when we asked for the bill, both my grandparents chipped in their senior citizen cards for a discount along with my Philippine Sports Commission ID,” she said.
“Moments later, the manager came to us and with the ID in her hand, held it up to us and said, ‘Ano po ‘to?’ she added.
The athlete said that her grandmother explained to the manager about the national athletes’ and coaches’ benefits under R.A. 10699, but the manager said that, “they weren’t notified there was such a law.”
“My grandmother stood up from the table and went to the cashier, [and when she] came back to our table and gave me my id, [she said], ‘Hindi nila tayo binigyan ng discount,’” Wong said.
“I did not reply. It wasn’t the first time I was denied of my right to a discount. So, I just let it go,” she added.
Eventually, the Wushu star said, they were approached by the manager again to tell them that they were just informed by their restaurant head that “there is indeed such a law” and offered them to apply her discount.
“I gave her my ID [again] and she applied my discount on it. That’s when we all left the restaurant,” she said.
On Monday, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso directed all business establishments operating in the city to comply with the law which grants 20 percent discount to all qualified national athletes, coaches and trainers of the country.
Upon Moreno’s order, the Bureau of Permits of the Manila local government unit directed in a letter, all business owners, administrators and operators in the city to follow the said law.
