Mabalacat Association of Persons with Disability

More than 3,500 disabled people, including visually and hearing-impaired persons in the country have licenses to drive motor vehicles, according to the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP).

The NCWDP said that the statistic proved that the Philippine government does not discriminate on the disabled, even when it comes to their right to drive vehicles.

The NCWDP said that of the 3,521 people with disabilities (PWDs) who were given driver’s licenses by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as of March 2002, 2,550 were partially blind, 56 were hearing and speech impaired, 777 were lower limb-impaired and 138 were upper limb impaired.

Marlou Evangelista of the NCWDP stressed that the 3,521 PWDS were considered as “partially disabled”. She said that no totally blind person was issued a license to drive by the LTO.

It will be recalled that the LTO several years ago was placed in “hot water” when a blind person in Pampanga revealed that he was able to get a driver’s license with the agency.

The LTO got off the hook when the blind person later admitted that he was able to get the license with the help of an acquaintance who claimed to be him and secured the driver’s license.

The Star tried to contact LTO Director Roberto Lastimoso and his spokesman Mariano Gui to comment on the issuance of driver’s license to PWDs but they were unavailable for interview at the LTO head office yesterday.

President Arroyo declared last Aug. 26 the Philippines’ observance of its own Decade for Disabled Persons from 2002 to 2012, noting that the Asia Pacific Decade for the Disabled Person was not enough for the country to address the needs and welfare of the disabled sector.
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When the nation is busy fighting poverty and corruption, and pursuing Islamic extremists and bomb scare artists, other concerns take a backseat. Today the public can be reminded about the plight of persons with disabilities as the nation marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of Republic Act 7277, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

The law was meant to provide opportunities for self-reliance, rehabilitation and development to persons with disabilities or PWDs, integrating them into the social mainstream. Non-government organizations and PWD groups were tapped to draw up measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education and health services. Among the most visible results of the passage of the law are access ramps, parking spaces and toilet facilities built specially for PWDs in public places. Educational TV programs have interpreters for the deaf-mute. There are special sports programs for PWDs.

Significant reforms have been accomplished particularly in Metro Manila and other urban centers. PWDs, however, believe there is still a wide room for change. The National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons reports that medical and social rehabilitation services for PWDs are not readily available especially in rural areas. PWDs still encounter many barriers to their mobility. Job opportunities are still not enough, with employers reluctant or refusing outright to hire PWDs. A number of PWDs still can’t pursue higher education because of lack of money.

Most PWDs are aware of their rights and entitlements, and have reason to celebrate as the 10th anniversary of RA 7277 is marked today. The law, however, is still far from being fully implemented. This will require greater public awareness of the PWDs in our midst, and political will to push the programs that will allow persons with disabilities to become productive members of society.

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – There are now about seven million Filipinos with various forms of disabilities, but only 2,663 of them are employed despite the passage of the Magna Carta for them eight years ago.

This was bared by Teresita Manzala, director of the Bureau of Local Employment during a dialogue here last Saturday with persons with disabilities (PWDs) from Central Luzon provinces.

Of the estimated seven million PWDs in the country, Manzala said about 650,000 have employable skills, although only 2,663 of them are employed.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said employers still have “biases on the disadvantages” of hiring PWDs.

While those who refuse to hire the services of PWDs could be prosecuted under the law, the filing of court cases against such employers would be a last resort in favor of voluntary compliance, Laguesma said.

STAR columnist Art Borjal, chairman of the Good Samaritan Foundation for the Disadvantaged Inc., decried the inability of state universities and colleges to comply with requirements to provide structural facilities suitable for PWDs in school buildings.

Borjal said one of the reasons why PWDs have no qualifications is due to their lack of educational attainment.

“How do you expect a physically disabled student to attend school where there are no facilities to help him go even to the toilet?” Borjal asked. During the dialogue, he handed two checks of P100,000 each for livelihood projects of PWDs.

Laguesma and Borjal both appealed to corporate managers to provide jobs to qualified PWDs, as they cited provisions in Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons granting firms tax deductions equivalent to 25 percent of the salaries paid to PWDs.

Borjal, meanwhile, lauded companies which have been supporting the National Council for the Welfare of the Disabled by opening more job opportunities for PWDs. The council is headed by Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He cited the Jollibee food chain which now employs four hearing- and speech-impaired youths in each of its 300 branches nationwide.