H Let me discuss today two issues: one, the celebration of Senior Citizens Week and, two, the 100 days in office of newly elected government officials. Yesterday was the culmination of the celebration of Senior Citizens Week and in Tagbilaran an appropriate program was held at the Bohol Cultural Center. I could have attended and participated in the program but for a previously scheduled engagement. By passing R.A. 9994 otherwise known as the EXPANDED SENIOR CITIZENS ACT OF 2010 Congress has recognized the need to further protect and promote the welfare of the elderly population. R.A. 9994 amended R.A. 9257 that amended R.A. 7432. Sadly however its implementation has been subject to the interpretation of whoever implements it. Take for example the provision on 20% discount on food, transportation, medicines, and recreation and entertainment activities. These have never been faithfully subscribed to by the business sector providing these goods and services. Some food establishments give only 5% or 10% discount, others never. The discount privilege in attending physician’s professional fees has never been implemented if my experience can be made as gauge.

Yet Section 4 of R.A. 9994 lists the following entitlements for senior citizens: 1) 20% discount and exemption from VAT on sale of goods and services that include medicines, vaccines, professional fees of attending physicians in hospitals or outpatient clinics, medical and dental services, diagnostic and laboratory fees; 2) 20% discount of actual fare when taking land transportation, airplane, and sea transportation shipping vessels; 3) 20% discount of hotel and lodging bills, restaurant and recreation centers, entrance fees in cinema houses and theatres, concert halls and other leisure and amusement centers, and even in funeral and burial services for senior citizens; 4) exemption from income tax for senior citizens earning minimum wage; 5) 5% discount for water and electric bills when the residence is registered in the name of the senior citizen provided consumption does not exceed 30 cubic meters of water and 100 KWH of electricity; 6) free X-Rays, computerized tomography scans and blood tests in government facilities, vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal disease administered by DOH. On promo sales, the senior citizen may opt either to avail of the promo or the privilege of 20% discount whichever is higher. The only proof needed to be presented by the senior citizen to avail of these entitlements are either a Senior Citizen Identification Card issued by OSCA, or a passport, or any ID that can establish his or her age as senior citizen. This again is frequently violated by many establishments that honor only the OSCA issued ID.

These entitlements are there but they might as well not exist because senior citizens have – well, senior moments – and they always forget that they have entitlements. So what cannot be recalled by memory cannot be had or enjoyed. It will help the purpose of the law if sales clerks will ask any senior looking customer if he or she is a senior citizen and if he or she has brought his or her ID. We appreciate the fact that the City of Tagbilaran has passed an ordinance enhancing further these entitlements by providing senior citizens of Tagbilaran free cake on their birthday and free movies three days a week. The free movie privilege is of course still suspended at present but the senior citizens are hoping that this will soon be resumed. Now on the 100 days in office of newly elected government officials. After 100 days in office, what do the people want from their newly installed officials? And why are we keen about newly installed officials when looking for performance as if those re-elected ones do not have the same responsibility to account to the people what they have done?

This is exactly the type of public behaviour that allowed Janet Lim-Napoles and those who have not been discovered yet to illegally and feloniously syphon billions of pesos in bogus projects from the PDAF or pork barrel allocations of legislators. By focusing on the newly installed elective officials, the public has taken for granted the performance of the “veterans”, they no longer ask what these officials have done after 100 days. And so re-elected officials don’t even plan anymore what they would do for the next 100 days after taking their oath for another term. They just continue what they have been doing before. If they have been looting the public coffer, then they continue to loot while the public’s eye is directed to the newly elected officials who, by the way,really feel compelled to perform. Let’s take the case of Tagbilaran City. The people wanted to know what Mayor Yap has done after 100 days because they expected so much from his new administration after suffering from the worst of roads prior to elections this year. Provincial Budget Officer ValerOrig and Provincial Treasurer Tux Socorin tell me that government has now taken to line item budgeting which means that no project can be implemented if it is not identified in the budget. New projects will need supplemental budget to be implemented and there can be no supplemental budget if there is no unappropriated fund that is available.

If the 2013 budget of the City of Tagbilaran did not carry road maintenance appropriation because all the money were allocated to the 32 (?) road sections scheduled for concreting, where would Mayor Yap get the funds to fill all the potholes in the city streets? Either the city contracts new loans to have funds for road maintenance or realign budgets of less urgent or less important projects with the approval of the Sanggunian. Otherwise road maintenance can wait for the 2014 budget. It will be unfair for the public to expect miracles from the administration of Mayor Yap within 100 days of its term. But there are services that cannot be postponed. For lack of funds, may be, road maintenance can wait for next year. But can the motorists and Tagbilaranons wait? Other problems, like inadequate water, are hounding the residents. Traffic is getting worse every day. Incidence of street crimes is increasing daily. These are the things that beg for immediate actions. Have the actions of the Yap administration addressed these after 100 days? A survey by a local radio station showed a majority of the Tagbilaranons satisfied with the 100-days performance of the Yap administration. It may be so. I give him the benefit of the doubt.