BY BEN ROSARIO
Drugstore and restaurant owners urged Congress to impose stricter regulations to curb abuses in the use of discount cards to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
In a congressional hearing on Thursday, business owners said they support any revision of provisions of Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and Republic Act 10754 that deal on PWD benefit cards.
The entrepreneurs appeared before the House Committee on Persons with Disabilities that opened its investigation into the controversy involving members of a middle class family who were issued PWD cards that entitle bearer 20 percent discount on cost of certain goods, medicines, and food.
“Those responsible for these issuance for unqualified individuals and those who falsified the cards and information about their eligibility must be penalized,” said Negros Occidental Rep. Marilou Arroyo, committee chairperson.
Arroyo noted that many PWD card bearers are disqualified from availing of its benefits.
ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Eric Go-Yap authored House Resolution 454 calling for a congressional inquiry into the lax implementation of the law expanding PWD privileges after the case of the middle class family went viral on social media.
ACT CIS Partylist Rep. Nina Taduran, who represented Yap at the hearing, said individuals who are well-to-do have been faking doctors certificates to access PWD cards merely to pursue their “travel goals and other vices.”
“Kailangan pa ba ninyo ng discount kung may kakakayahan kayo sa buhay?,” Taduran asked.
Renato Cada, head of QC Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office, told the House panel that the QC government has restricted the issuance of PWD cards.
He said Mayor Joy Belmonte has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to help the city government identify the culprits behind the faking of PWD discount cards.
Southstar Drug representative Cristine Coeres said pharmacies and drugstores in the country bear the brunt of fake PWD and lenient issuance of PWD cards.
On the other hand, restaurant representative MJ Bayang stressed that owners of food businesses in the country support government’s objective in making life easy for PWDs and senior citizens.
Bayang called for stricter regulations in the issuance of PWD cards but stressed that such measures must not result to the disenfranchisement of real PWDs. (Ben R. Rosario)
