Two executives of a Pasig hotel were charged by the city prosecutor’s office for not giving a senior citizen a 20% discount and her value added tax exemption.
The Pasig prosecutor’s office on December 21, 2023, filed charges against the hotel’s president and finance director for violating the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 and the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
The case was filed with the Pasig Metropolitan Trial Court, and bail was set at P36,000 each.
The charges came from a complaint by senior citizen Melinda Rada, who accused the hotel of not providing her the 12% value added tax exemption and 20% senior citizen’s discount on her stay in November 2022.
The prosecutor noted that the hotel president’s claim of unintentional failure to provide the discount is irrelevant for violations of the laws.
The resolution states that Rada received only the 12% VAT exemption because the hotel management stated that its rates were already on a promotional offer.
In her counter-affidavit, the hotelier refuted these claims, explaining that Rada chose the “winter promotion rate” for her two-night stay, which was booked via an online travel agency.
Despite this, Pasig prosecutors insisted that as a senior citizen, Rada is rightfully entitled to both the 20% discount and the VAT exemption.
The prosecutor said that the hotel did not have a permit from the Department of Trade and Industry for a promotion related to Rada’s stay, which was crucial to the case.
