Lawyer urges Supreme Court to clarify ruling on senior discounts, promos

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court should issue a clear elaboration on its ruling barring the application of a senior citizen discount after other promotional discounts have been applied, a senior citizen advocate said.

In a statement on Thursday, October 15, senior citizen advocate and lawyer Romulo Macalintal warned that the decision could be exploited by business establishments to evade granting senior citizen discounts.

According to the Supreme Court's ruling released in a press briefer on October 14, senior citizens cannot stack their statutory 20% discount on top of existing promotional prices, reinforcing that elderly consumers must choose between the promotional price and the statutory 20% discount, whichever yields greater savings.

While the ruling acquitted a hotel executive in Bacolod City after finding that the guests had already received a 20% discount through a pre-negotiated group rate, Macalintal emphasized that the public briefer lacks critical legal distinctions.