The new status symbol

Under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code, the penalty for falsification of public documents is prison mayor, which is a type of imprisonment ranging from six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12) years."

- CITO BELTRAN

Who would have imagined that a simple "government" ID would become the latest status symbol of the privileged and opportunists a.k.a "Magulang." Based on whispered complaints from several business establishments, there has been an alarming number of FAKE PWD & senior citizen IDs being presented by students, groups, even families when dining at restaurants.

In the past, restaurant owners simply recognized the IDs until accountants began to point out the unusual amounts registered as discounts for PWDs. Some staff or cashiers have also wondered how able-bodied or healthy young students jostling around would each show a PWD ID when their bill was presented.

Until recently, business owners were reluctant to act on their suspicion because netizens would summarily judge if not bully owners for being anti-PWD based on the mere allegation of someone whose ID or eligibility was challenged. At least two restaurants were allegedly forced to close because of such summary condemnation online.

A friend shared that her son's classmates all brag about having a PWD ID and all it cost was P3,000 each. The new status symbol is apparently among students at a high-end private high school and a university. Among the Ortigas outlets, they talk about a family that arrives in a very expensive van, resides in a nearby exclusive village and frequently use PWD IDs. Can an entire family really be all PWDs?