The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reiterated its call to the public to honor the benefits and privileges for persons with disabilities accorded to them by law, regardless of the type of disability, or whether the disability is apparent or non-apparent.
“Hindi ibig sabihin na hindi nakikita ang kapansanan ay wala ito. Many persons with disabilities live with conditions that are not visible, but are as real and impactful to their everyday lives. We call on everyone to show more understanding, empathy, and respect to persons with disabilities, including those with non-apparent ones,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD spokesperson, said on Monday (July 7).
Asst. Secretary Dumlao issued the statement in response to a viral video of a person with non-apparent disability who was publicly scorned for sitting in the priority seat of an LRT-1 coach.
The person with disability has congenital cataract with his eyeglass lens grade reaching over 1,150 for both eyes which is considered a disability.
The DSWD spokesperson said the incident was a violation of Republic Act No. 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, as amended by Republic Act 9442 which prohibits the verbal, non-verbal ridicule and vilification against persons with disabilities.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the agency is working closely with its attached agency, the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), to prevent such incidents from occurring with the pilot roll out of the unified identification (ID) cards for persons with disabilities.
“Patuloy ang isinasagawang internal technical pilot testing stage ng DSWD kasama ang NCDA upang maayos ang system ng unified persons with disability IDs. This is in time for the October pilot implementation with 35 selected local government units (LGUs). Nakikita namin na once ma-implement ang system na ito, mababawasan ang paggamit sa mga fake persons with disabilities ID cards para manamantala sa mga discounts at privileges na para dapat ay sa mga tunay na mga taong may kapansanan – may physical disability man sila, non-apparent disability, o chronic or rare disease,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao explained.
Under the NCDA’s Administrative Order No. 001, Series of 2008, persons with disabilities IDs are exclusively issued to individuals with permanent disabilities caused by one or more of the following conditions: speech impairment, learning disability, intellectual disability, mental disability, visual disability, psychosocial disability, physical disability, deaf and hard-of-hearing, cancer and rare diseases.
The NCDA is also continuously coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) to update the types of disabilities and make them more inclusive for all the members of such vulnerable sector.
Some 200,000 persons with disabilities – which is roughly 10 percent of the estimated more than 2 million persons with disabilities nationwide are expected to participate in the pilot roll out of the unified ID system in 35 local government units (LGUs) nationwide.
The pilot areas include Parang, Maguindanao from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM); the cities of Dagupan, San Carlos, Urdaneta, and Alaminos in Pangasinan; Solano, Nueva Vizcaya; almost all municipalities in Bulacan province; Cainta, San Mateo, Santa Rosa, Teresa, and Antipolo City in Rizal province; Carmona, Cavite; Pila, Laguna, Daet, Camarines Norte; Kalibo, Aklan; Candijay, Bohol; Malaybalay, Bukidnon; Koronadal City and Surallah in South Cotabato; and the cities of Pasay and Muntinlupa in the National Capital region (NCR).
The unified ID system for persons with disabilities is an initiative of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian that aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr’s agenda to promote more inclusive programs and policies for vulnerable sectors. (AKDL)