Mabalacat Association of Persons with Disability

In line with the global celebration of the International Day of Disabled Persons last Dec. 3, the City of Manila will play host to the staging of the third ASEAN Para Games from Dec. 14-21 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1982, this year’s occasion aims to promote understanding of disability issues and encourage support for the upliftment of the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.

Through the third ASEAN Para Games, organizers not only hope to allow the region’s disabled sector to enjoy life and human rights fully and become productive citizens but also promote solidarity in the region.

The Philippines is hosting the Games, presented by the PCSO, PSC, and DPWH and backed by PLDT-Smart, Systems Technology, Inc., Pag-ibig, SM Shoemart, Philpost, NBN-4, Manila Bulletin, Philspada, and the City Government of Manila under Mayor Lito Atienza, for the first time under the auspices of the Philippine ASEAN Para Games Organizing Committee (PAPGOC) chaired by former Philippine Sports Commissioner Michael Barredo.

Barredo, who is the Board of Governors chairman of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation and president of the 113-nation member International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), expressed the importance for nations to take cognizance of the needs of their disabled in so far as their mental, physical and spiritual strength is concerned.

“I may have lost my eyesight, but I gained a vision. And that vision is to see the disabled being able to participate in the mainstream of society, particularly in sports,” said Barredo, a former athlete who lost his eyesight more than 20 years ago.

Over 1,000 of the finest differently-abled athletes from all over Southeast Asia are expected to showcase their athletic prowess in the Games also supported by American President Line, Pfizer Inc., Red Ribbon, Radioworks, Sports Radio, IBM Computers, Mettaphione, GSIS, and various national government agencies.

Among the sports included in the calendar are athletics, swimming, powerlifting, badminton, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, goalball, chess, wheelchair tennis, and judo, while demonstration sports include sailing, boccia, tenpin bowling, and fencing.

The ASEAN Para Games were started in 2000 during the 10th Paralympiad Malaysian Games held in Kuala Lumpur wherein the 10 Southeast Asian countries unanimously decided to establish a regional federation, which organized the biennial Games to promote the spirit of regional solidarity.

Disabled persons and pregnant women will soon be able to ride in special coaches of the Light Rail Transit and the Metro Rail Transit systems, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said yesterday.

DOTC Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez made the announcement following instructions from President Arroyo to ensure safety and comfort of disabled persons in public transport vehicles by providing them with special facilities.

The presidential order was issued following complaints from the physically disabled sector that most urban mass transportation systems have not adequately provided for their needs.

Alvarez said that although the LRT and MRT systems have stickers that say the elderly and the disabled should be given priority in seats, this has not been strictly enforced. Many PWDs (persons with disabilities) take jeepneys and buses instead.

The absence of special coaches in the megatrains was earlier deplored by the national commission for PWDs.

Alvarez said the megatrain will be designed to contain coaches specifically intended of the lame, the blind and other disabled persons, as well as pregnant women.

“The Light Rail Transit Authority is constructing facilities that can accommodate the handicapped and the blind commuters of the megatrain,” the DOTC chief said.

According to Alvarez, based on Mrs. Arroyo’s instructions, the LRT and MRT stations “will have elevators to serve the disabled, the elderly and pregnant women.”

Alvarez said he has already received a report from LRTA administrator Teddy Cruz Jr. that the PWD-friendly train coaches will be operational next year.

As an added feature, the elevators of the megatrain will have Braille engraving to allow the blind to read directions.

Similar features will be found inside the coaches.

For the visually impaired, they will also be guided “by tactile or tiles that have buttons.”

A public address system will also be installed in all stations to provide instructions to the PWDs, especially the blind.

“Inside the coaches, there will be enough space for those on wheelchairs and there will likewise be seats for infants and pregnant mothers,” the DOTC statement said.