The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has called upon all business establishments to ensure that members of priority sectors such as persons with disabilities and senior citizens have access to priority parking spaces regardless of the vehicle types they are using.
“While the DSWD acknowledges that most business establishments already have reserved parking spaces for priority groups, including persons with disabilities, we want to reiterate that the priority should not be based on the model or type of vehicle, but on the needs and rights of the persons aboard the vehicle,” Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao, the DSWD’s spokesperson said on Friday (July 11).
The DSWD spokesperson issued the statement after a netizen expressed her frustration against the security guards of two establishments in Paseo De Sta. Rosa, Laguna who prevented her from parking her e-tricycle in the priority parking slots despite being in the company of her child and sister who are both persons with disabilities.
According to the Subcommittee on Accessibility on Built Environment and Transportation (SCABET) under the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), an attached agency of the DSWD, the incident is “insensitive and discriminatory to persons with disabilities and constitutes a violation of Batas Pambansa(BP) Blg. 344 and Republic Act (RA) 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities.”
“Under BP 344, and its Amended Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), accessible parking spaces are mandated to be inclusive, ensuring safe and convenient access for individuals with mobility limitations, whether due to physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments. BP 344 does not specify any distinction on the type of vehicle allowed to use the allocated persons with disability parking slots, therefore, e-tricycle is not prohibited from parking in these areas,” the NCDA-SCABET said in a press statement.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the DSWD, as the mother agency of the NCDA, backs the council’s call for local government units (LGUs) to issue local ordinances in support of the implementation of BP 344.
“Through the support of LGUs, we hope that more establishments will ensure that non-discriminatory priority parking policies are in place in order to provide reasonable accommodation and accessibility to all vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors,” the DSWD spokesperson said.
In a related development, the DSWD also recently 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. (AKDL)