MANILA - A measure increasing the discount granted to senior citizens on their monthly electric and water consumption and exempt such bills from value-added tax hurdled second reading approval at the House of Representatives. During Tuesday's plenary session, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 10568, which would amend Republic Act No. 7432 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010. The bill proposes to raise the rate of discount granted to senior citizens on their monthly electric and water consumption from the present 5 percent to 10 percent. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said the exemption would still be subject to a cap on consumption, but for electricity consumption, the limit is also increased in the bill from 100-kilowatt hours to 150. The cap on water is kept at 30 cubic meters. Salceda said the measure contains a safeguard against abuse. "The measure explicitly states that the senior has to be living in the h