MANILA -- Discounts for persons with disabilities are applicable to orders for groups, National Council on Disability Affairs Executive Director Glenda Relova said Tuesday.

The official said this was according to an opinion the Department of Justice (DOJ) had sent to their office.

Speaking on TeleRadyo Serbisyo, Relova said the DOJ's opinion is consistent with what is being practiced in stores right now.

"Ang kaibahan lang po dito is yung pagkakataon po na halimbawa po na ang isang person with disability ay umorder ng group meal, at nag-dine in po siya, at nakita na po na siya lang po yung kumain mag-isa," she said.

"(Kapag) yung buong group meal po na ‘yun ay for the exclusive consumption of person with disability, then entitled po siya ng buong 20 percent discount and VAT exemption sa buong price po noon," she clafiried.

"Kung naman po ito ay group meal tapos kumain po sila, halimbawa po ay 4 sila, and then 2 po ang person with disability, idi-divide po ito sa apat, tapos yun pong portion po, yung 50 percent which comprised yung 2 person with disability, yun lang po ang magkakaroon ng discount na 20 percent tsaka po ng VAT exemption," she added.

The official also noted that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)'s Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 71, Series of 2022 states that businesses can approximate the largest and most expensive meal portion that a PWD can consume in a group meal, then impose a 20 percent discount on this in the case of a delivery.

PRONE TO ABUSE?

But Eric Teng, president of restaurant operators group Resto PH, said the new legal opinion of the DOJ allows the system to continue to be abused.

"Sinasabi po diyan sa DOJ opinion na buong discount po binibigay. We’ve been experiencing that problem. Mag-oorder po ang isang PWD card ng isang buong lechon...sasabihin niya siya ang kakain noon. Or pipila siya sa food court ang inoorder niya pang-sampung tao, pero ang ice-claim naya siya ang may discount, siya lahat ang kakain," he said.

"So it was already confusing before and now, with that decision, I regret to say that it is going to make the situation even more chaotic," he stressed.

Teng said the use of PWD cards has been abused since it was created.

"Wala po kasing standardized card system, marami pong nagbibigay satin ng clearly fake. For example parching serial number ang mga card nila. O yung mukha nila, babae sa picture, lalaki ang pangalan sa card," he said. 

"Ang akala po ng government or the public na ang population na may PWD card ay maliit lang. Madalas po kaming buong table na may 10 PWD card sa 10 kataong table," he noted.

"Napakarami pong ganoong klaseng...mga buong pamilya, mula lolo hanggang baby, may PWD card pati yaya," he lamented.

The executive said the government must hold more dialogues with their groups so they can understand what businesses are going through.

"We regret that decision dahil hindi po nakakatulong sa PWD po yan. So sa tingin po namin mali. Dahil ang mangyayari lang po, ang mga restaurant, magtataas lang po ng presyo para ma-cover lang po ang discount na hindi naman dapat binibigay sa mga undeserving," he said. 

"Hindi naman po nila pinag-uusapan ang mga fake na PWD cards na napakarami," he noted.