Mabalacat Association of Persons with Disability

Comelec sets special registration for PWDs from July 18 to 23
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA— Persons with disabilities (PWDs) who wish to vote in the 2013 elections can register from July 18 to 23, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“In observance of the PWD month this June, we are making it easier and more accessible for PWDs to register for the 2013 midterm elections by giving them priority lanes in satellite registration sites such as malls in key cities nationwide,” said Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.

Sarmiento handles the poll body’s ad hoc committee for PWD registration as well as the special committee on detainee registration.

All election officers have been notified to prioritize the registration of PWDs and to hold satellite registration in accesible areas such as  malls and in barangays with high number of PWDs.

PWDs can only register in malls located in the municipality where he or she resides per registration rules.

Sarmiento urges families of PWDs or barangay officials to help them register early to avoid long queues. Comelec will use the PWDs registration record to map out precincts that will have express lanes for PWDs during elections.

PWD registration also coincides with the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.

Leaders of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) together with some officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) dicussed in the DTI office in Makati City the special benefits and discounts for Persons with Disability.

The PWD sector led by Mr. Lauro Purcil and Mr. Manuel Agcaoili discussed the joint administrative order by the DTI and DA. This was on the Implementing Rules and Regulations on the Grant of Special Discounts to Persons with Disability on the Purchase of Basic Necessities and Prime Commodities pursuant to Section 32 (j) of Republic Act 9442 also known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

The joint administrative order which is still pending due to some expected revisions was based on the Senior Citizens Act. The primary objective of this is that every person with disability shall enjoy a special discount of five percent (5%) of the regular retail price of basic necessities and prime commodities.

In order for the PWDs to avail the said privileges, they must present their identification card (ID) issued by the local government unit where he/she resides. The problem with this is that not all local government units (LGU) especially those in the rural places were aware about the PWD’s Magna Carta. “The problem when it comes to the ID matter is that not all city or municipal governments issuing the said thing. Here only in the Metro Manila, only few cities were issuing ID cards for PWD: Makati City, Marikina City, Quezon City and the City of Manila.

Agcaoili also noticed that the discounts were only available in big time shopping malls and groceries and hardly found in public markets, talipapa (small markets) and sari-sari store (variety stores). “Most of the PWDs do not come from rich families. Majority of them belong to the less fortunate ones, so their appeal to the DTI to inform the owners of the sari-sari store they must also follow in accordance with the said Magna Carta.

The stores which give discounts to the senior citizens and the PWDs are given tax credits by the government via the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). However, the BIR does not give tax credits to the store owners and so they do not give any discounts anymore. “Discounts like this were benefits given by the government and should be imposed properly. The private sector only supports what the government really wants. Wag na po nating pahirapan ang may kapansanan, hirap na po sila” [Don’t let the person’s with disability to suffer more, they were already suffering at the moment], Mr. Agcaoili added.

Then DTI assures that the discounts can be availed nationwide by the PWDs. Some towns especially those in rural areas have not been properly informed yet. And this has resulted in confusion among sellers.

The Makati City government will officially launch the Person with Disability (PWD) Transport ID Card Plus tomorrow and will be distributed to 2,353 qualified recipients at the Makati City Hall Quadrangle.

Makati Social Welfare Development (MSWD) chief Marjorie de Veyra said the PWD Transport ID Card Plus entitles cardholders to receive fare discounts at the Metro Rail Transit, Light Rail Transit, provincial buses and jeepneys in Makati. Additional benefits for cardholders are still being negotiated.

“Initially, the ID will offer discounts covered by national laws. We are studying other means that will enhance the services extended to disabled persons in Makati,” De Veyra said.

The distribution will be followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding to be led by Mayor Jejomar Binay, Director Catalina Fermin of the National Council for the Welfare of the Disabled Person, Director Honorita Baydan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region, and to be witnessed by the PWD Federation, local transport groups, and other stakeholders of the PWD Transport ID Plus.

Binay said the project, spearheaded by the MSWD aims to extend assistance to the city’s disabled citizens.

He noted that the project is backed by City Ordinance No. 2006-016, which is in accordance with Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons.

“It will grant incentives and benefits to PWD cardholders up to 59 years old,” Binay said.

PWD aged 60 years and above are already qualified for the national ID card for senior citizens.

A census conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2000 revealed that there are about 942,000 persons with disabilities in the country, and the government must ensure that they are adequately supported and protected, the senator said.

“This is a conservative count as compared to the World Health Organization estimates for a developing country: That one says that out of every 10 people has a disability. Based on this projection, there are about 8.0 million Filipinos with disability, 80% of which are in the rural areas where they can hardly reach the gains of development,” she said.

While RA 7277, the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons,” as amended, affords manifold services, including quality education, health and auxiliary social services for PWDs, Legarda said the creation of an office will add a salient feature to the law for the maximum benefits of disabled persons.

“Persons with disabilities are a country’s important endowments. Their rights and privileges must be protected and equal opportunities must be afforded to them to develop their abilities in all fields of human endeavor,” she said after a Senate hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development which she chairs.

Senate Bill 2323, authored by Legarda, seeks to amend Sec. 40 of RA 7277, to pave the way for the establishment of a Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) in each province, city, and town.

Around 1.2 million households or seven percent of the 16 million households across the country have a disabled member, a survey commissioned by the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

The survey, conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from June 4 to 29, covered 1,200 households. Majority of the disabilities were reportedly caused by illnesses (62 percent) followed by inborn defects (25 percent) and accident (11 percent).

For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 8.4 million or one out of every 10 Filipinos have some form of disability.

But the SWS survey revealed that only 26 percent or 300,000 households with a disabled member get some form of medical assistance from the government.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit called on people with disability (PWD) to avail themselves of the government’s rehabilitation services.

“They should seize the opportunity. We have existing facilities run by government agencies that offer rehabilitation services for various disabilities,” Dayrit said.

He noted that while these state-run facilities are limited in number, “counterparts from the private sector are also available for PWD’s rehabilitation needs.”

To determine the exact number, location and needs of PWDs, the DOH has launched a registration program for PWDs last June 19 in coordination with the National Center for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Interior and Local Government and the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

The registry is supposed to end today but the DOH has decided to make it a continuing undertaking.

Data from the registration has not been collated yet but a DOH insider revealed that the turnout was low because of poor information campaign about the program. The insider added that the registry has not been even announced on radio or television.

“What we’ll do now is coordinate again with the rural health units so that the registry could be announced even at the barangay level,” the source maintained.