Bacolod City Councilor Celia Matea Flor clarified that the old identification (ID) card of the senior citizens has no expiration and is valid to be used in any business establishment.
Flor, chairperson of the City Council committee on senior citizens and veterans’ affairs, said she received several complaints that some business establishments in Bacolod City refused to honor the ID of the senior citizens who have not yet replaced it with the new version, which has a quick response (QR) code.
Flor said it was earlier announced by the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) that the city will no longer accept the replacement of the old versions of persons with disabilities (PWD) ID cards after the April 30 deadline.
She said the city changed the PWD IDs to QR codes after they learned that some individuals were taking advantage of acquiring the IDs.
“It was only the PWD IDs and not the IDs of the senior citizens. We only encourage the senior citizens to acquire a new ID with a QR code, but it doesn’t mean that their old IDs without a QR code will not be honored to avail their discounts,” she explained.
Flor stressed that the senior citizen ID is a lifetime valid ID, and they can use it in all business establishments to avail of the discounts.
“We are calling all the business establishments, like restaurants, pharmacies, and fast food chains, among others, to honor the old version of the senior citizen ID cards,” she said.
She added that it’s the program of the city to update the IDs of the PWDs and senior citizens to change them into PVC-made IDs, but the ID of the senior citizen is a lifetime valid ID, while the PWD IDs have a five-year expiration.
Flor disclosed that the PWDs and senior citizens' IDs with the QR code program are only implemented in Bacolod City, and the IDs of those living outside Bacolod with no QR code are also valid to be used here in the city.*