Lawyer accepts apology from restaurants

MANILA, Philippines - Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said yesterday he accepted the apologies of the owners of two restaurants he charged with violating the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

In a statement, he said that he received calls from the owners of Café Mediterranean in Resorts World and Black Canyon Coffee, which refused to honor his driver’s license as proof of his age when he asked for a senior citizen’s discount.

The restaurant owners said they were not aware of the law, which provides that other identification cards, such as a driver’s license, could be used to prove a person is a senior citizen.

“The much-publicized incident of my having been denied my 20 percent discount and value-added tax exemption as a senior citizen involving two restaurants made the public, most especially the senior citizens, aware of their rights and privileges under Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act,” he said.

Macalintal also said the incident also served as a wake-up call for the government’s concerned agencies and offices to ensure proper observance and compliance with RA 9994 to protect the interests of senior citizens.

He said that Café Mediterranean owner Marla Moran apologized for the incident and agreed to his request to donate at least P20,000 to a home for the aged or a charity catering to the needs of senior citizens, as her company’s “peace offering to all senior citizens they have unknowingly denied benefits in the past.”

Moran also promised to display a sign listing the identification documents that can be accepted as proof of age, he said.

Macalintal said the owner of Black Canyon Coffee, located at a mall in Las Piñas City, is set to meet with him and a representative of the mall today.

“I hope the situation will not be an avenue for persecution of businesses or circumvention of any provision of the law but will pave the way for genuine cooperation and concern for the betterment of our senior citizens.” he said.