(File photo)
MANILA – Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo wants to expand the transportation and road use privileges of the country’s senior citizens by granting them a 20 percent discount on the toll fees levied by expressway and skyway operators.
“Senior citizens who own motor vehicles deserve special access to skyways and expressways, including a 20 percent reduction in toll charges,” Rillo said in a news release on Sunday.
As proposed by Rillo in House Bill No. 5277, senior citizens would enjoy 20 percent off all toll fees payable via radio frequency identification (RFID) or similar devices.
To avail of the discount, the motor vehicle must be registered in the name of the senior citizen, who must submit a copy of his or her ID card to the expressway or skyway operator when applying for RFID installation.
“Our measure seeks to give more meaning to the mandate of the 1987 Constitution for the State to prioritize the rights and welfare of the elderly,” Rillo said.
Rillo’s bill requires the Department of Transportation’s Toll Regulatory Board and other agencies to enforce the discount.
The measure seeks to further upgrade the Expanded Senior Citizens Law that bestows Filipinos who are 60 years old and above a wide range of perks.
At present, senior citizens enjoy a 20 percent discount and value-added tax exemption on airline and ship passenger tickets, and on the fares of railways and public utility vehicles, including shuttle and ride-hailing services.
In addition, they are currently exempt from paying airport and seaport passenger terminal fees.
Rillo earlier filed a separate bill seeking to grant persons with disabilities (PWDs) a similar 20 percent on the toll prices of controlled-access roads. (PNA)
