BY MA. AIZL CAMILLE B. CABARLES, Researcher
Every member of the society forms part of either the rise and fall of the State.
While the focal point of most issues concerning the general public are poverty, human rights, gender discrimination, status quo, and the like, much is yet to be discussed about the present condition of persons with disabilities (PWDs).
| List of Cities/Municipalities Issuing Identification Cards for Persons with Disabilities As of December 2009 | |
| Region | City/Municipality |
| National Capital Region | Las Piñas City |
| Manila City | |
| Quezon City | |
| Muntinlupa City | |
| Makati City | |
| Taguig City | |
| Malabon City | |
| Marikina City | |
| Valenzuela City | |
| Pasay City | |
| San Juan City | |
| Paranaque City | |
| Kaloocan City | |
| Mandaluyong City | |
| Pasig City | |
| Navotas | |
| Cordillera Administrative Region | |
| Benguet | Kibungan |
| Mankayan | |
| Bakun | |
| Sablan | |
| Itogon | |
| Tublay | |
| Atok | |
| La Trinidad | |
| Ilocos Region | |
| Ilocos Norte | Laoag City |
| Ilocs Sur | |
| Vigan City | |
| Candon City | |
| La Union | San Fernando City |
| Agoo | |
| Aringay | |
| Pangasinan | Urdaneta City |
| Dagupan City | |
| Asingan | |
| Calasiao | |
| Cagayan Valley | |
| Isabela | Santiago City |
| Cauayan City | |
| San Agustin | |
| Reina Mercedes | |
| Ilagan | |
| San Mateo | |
| Burgos | |
| Maconacon | |
| Cagayan | Tuguegarao City |
| Enrile | |
| Baggao | |
| Claveria | |
| Lasam | |
| Sto. Niño | |
| Nueva Vizcaya | Kasibu |
| Aritao | |
| Quirino | |
| Cabarroguis | |
| Diffun | |
| Aglipay | |
| Saguday | |
| Madella | |
| Nagtipunan | |
| Central Luzon | |
| Zambales | Olongapo City |
| Botolan | |
| Castillejos | |
| Nueva Ecija | Palayan City |
| Cabanatuan City | |
| San Jose City | |
| Jaen | |
| Cuyapo | |
| Talavera | |
| Penaranda | |
| Zaragosa | |
| Bulacan | San Jose Del Monte |
| Malolos City | |
| Hagonoy | |
| Obando | |
| Paombong | |
| San Rafael | |
| Pampanga, Tarlac | Tarlac City |
| Sta. Ignacia | |
| Gerona | |
| CALABARZON | |
| Batangas | Tanauan City |
| Lipa City | |
| Batangas City | |
| Lemery | |
| Nasugbu | |
| Calaca | |
| Cuenca | |
| Malvar | |
| Laurel | |
| San Luis | |
| Ibaan | |
| Cavite | Tagaytay City |
| Trece Martirez City | |
| Cavite City | |
| Bacoor | |
| Alfonso | |
| Tanza | |
| General Mariano Alvarez (GMA) | |
| Carmona | |
| Rosario | |
| Rizal | Angono |
| Cardona | |
| Cainta | |
| Binangonan | |
| Taytay | |
| Antipolo City | |
| Laguna | Santa Rosa City |
| San Pablo City | |
| Calamba City | |
| Biñan | |
| San Pedro | |
| Cabuyao | |
| Victoria | |
| Quezon Province | Tayabas City |
| Lucena City | |
| Calauag | |
| Gumaca | |
| Tiaong | |
| Sariaya | |
| Cadelaria | |
| Dolores | |
| MIMAROPA | |
| Oriental Mindoro | Pola |
| Mansalay | |
| Pinamalayan | |
| Socorro | |
| Victoria | |
| Oriental Mindoro | |
| Occidental Mindoro | Magsaysay |
| Abra de Ilog | |
| San Jose | |
| Palawan | Narra |
| Aborlan | |
| El Nido | |
| Bicol Region | |
| Camarines Sur | Iriga City |
| Albay | Ligao City |
| Pili | |
| Tigaon | |
| Sagnay | |
| Tinambac | |
| Western Visayas | |
| Iloilo | Iloilo City |
| New Lucena | |
| Concepcion | |
| Ajuy | |
| Leganes | |
| Estancia | |
| Oton | |
| Zarraga | |
| Miag-ao | |
| San Miguel | |
| Antique | Sibalom |
| Patnongon | |
| San Remigio | |
| Sebaste | |
| San Jose | |
| Capiz | Roxas City |
| Guimaras | Jordan |
| Buenavista | |
| Nueva Valencia | |
| Aklan | Kalibo |
| Malay | |
| Cental Visayas | |
| Cebu | Lapu-Lapu City |
| Talisay City | |
| Mandaue City | |
| Cebu City | |
| Bohol | Calape |
| P. Garcia | |
| Negros Oriental | Dumaguete City |
| Eastern Visayas | |
| Western Samar | Calbayog City |
| Tacloban City | |
| Northern Mindanao | |
| Misamis Oriental | Opol |
| Cagayan de Oro City | |
| Gingoog City | |
| Misamis Occidental | Ozamis City |
| Bukidnon | Malaybalay |
| Braulio E. Dujali | |
| Talaingod | |
| Sto. Tomas | |
| Tigbuan | |
| Davao Region | |
| Davao Oriental | San Isidro |
| Compostella Valley | Nabunturan |
| Monkayo | |
| Compostela | |
| Monte Vista | |
| New Bataan | |
| Mabini | |
| Maragusan | |
| Davao del Norte | Tagum City |
| Panabo City | |
| Sto. Tomas | |
| New Corella | |
| Talaingod | |
| Carmen | |
| San Isidro | |
| Braulio Dujali | |
| Davao del Sur | Davao City |
| Digos City | |
| Island Garden City | |
| Bansalan | |
| Hagonoy | |
| Sta. Maria | |
| Padada | |
| Malaglag | |
| Sulop | |
| Magsaysay | |
| SOCCSKSARGEN | |
| South Cotabato | Polomolok |
| General Santos City | |
| Sultan Kudarat | Cotabato City |
| Tacurong City | |
| CARAGA | |
| Surigao del Sur | Bislig City |
| Tandag City | |
| Surigao del Norte | Surigao City |
| Agusan del Norte | Buenavista |
| Magallanes | |
| Remedios T. Romualdez | |
| Butuan City | |
| Cabadbaran City | |
| Agusan del Sur | Bayugan City |
| Source: National Commission on Disability Affairs | |
In 1995, the National Statistics Office (NSO) started to keep track of the number of disabled persons per sex through the Census of Population and Housing survey.
In the survey, respondents were asked whether they are living with a member of the household that is blind, deaf, mute, has speech defect, handicapped or is mentally-retarded.
There were a total of 919,292 Filipinos — or about 1.34% of the population — with exceptionalities during the year, wherein 51% of which were men, while the remaining 49% were women.
Five years later, data from the NSO show an increasing number of PWDs or 2.48% higher than in 1995, totaling 942,098 or 1.2% of the Philippine population.
Unfortunately, the 2000 census was the latest data on PWDs as the variable was removed from the population survey.
“The latest census, the 2007 Census of Population, does not have information on PWDs because this variable, for some reasons, has been dropped from the questionnaire,” authors Celia M. Reyes and Aubrey D. Tabuga noted in the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) December 2009 policy note entitled Looking at Conditions of Persons with Disability in Metro Manila.
“This lack of information on the conditions of PWDs becomes a problem in coming up with appropriate programs for them,” the authors said.
Hence, the PIDS, together with international research organization Institute of Developing Economies of Japan and select Social Welfare Offices in the country, conducted a survey on PWDs in Metro Manila last August 2008.
The survey was carried out in a bid to promote national awareness and improve the well-being of PWDs in the Philippines.
It covered more than 400 respondents from various cities in the Metro — Makati, Pasay, Valenzuela and Quezon City — that have visual, mobility, hearing or multiple impairments, which form part of the labor market.
Findings of the survey show that of the total respondents, there were more male with disabilities (62%) than female (38%).
About 35% or 147 PWDs have mobility impairment primarily caused by polio (57) and others like stroke and lower limb amputation.
Majority of them use assistive devices such as manual wheelchairs and crutches to help them carry on necessary tasks at home and at the workplace or open opportunities for employment.
On the other hand, of the visually impaired respondents in the survey, half were reported as partially blind and have 83% literacy rate, while some can read using Braille.
Devised by a blind Frenchman Louis Braille in 1821, it is made up of six-dot positions organized in a rectangle with two columns of three dots each. It is a system created to enable blind people to read and communicate in writing.
Among the assistive devices they use include the Braille typewriter, the slate and stylus used to write Braille, Braille lite, screen reader cellular phones and computers, and talking books.
However, other visually impaired persons said they were illiterate either because they personally chose not to go to school, was not allowed to attend school, or lacked the needed family support and resources.
Meanwhile, data from the PIDS survey show that majority of the hearing impaired respondents have low educational attainment among those with disabilities.
Majority said they can converse through the Philippine sign language but 60% of them stated they can write in English than in Filipino.
“Only a third of the respondents have reached or completed high school level…one-fourth either finished or reached college…a fourth finished elementary schooling…while 8% did not even complete any grade,” the authors said in the article.
Hence, opportunities for employment usually come in short, with only half of the respondents reported having income-generating jobs. A handful was able to fill in higher positions or earn above the poverty threshold, while majority have below minimum wage positions or belong to the underground economy.
Mobility impaired workers, which took up 18% of employed PWDs, have jobs as sellers or vendors, storekeepers or store managers, self-employed (sari-sari store owners, barbers, tricycle operators), or technicians or electricians.
The visually impaired laborers found their niche as masseurs. While hearing-impaired persons worked as aide, helper, messenger, carpenter, maintenance worker, painter, laborer, factory supervisor, or information and communications technology employee.
“Unfortunately, only 29% of the PWDs with jobs earned equal to or more than the minimum wage. Only a fifth of both the mobility-impaired and hearing-impaired individuals earned at least the minimum wage. The visually impaired were better off, with 37% of them earning at least the minimum wage,” the authors said.
In response to the growing concern over the general welfare of PWDs in the country, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 437 in June 21, 2005 to encourage the implementation of Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Program for PWDs.
As stated, local government units (LGUs) were tasked to deliver services and allocate funds for Filipinos with exceptionalities, in accordance with the guidelines set by the National Commission on Disability Affairs (the NCDA was formerly known as National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons).
“[The CBR Program] was almost non-existent in the barangays as 92% of the respondents reported that they did not have knowledge of a CBR in their locality,” the authors said in the article.
The program includes medical mission, reflexology training, livelihood training, and health benefits, among others. In addition, PWDs can also avail identification cards (ID) that will serve as their discount card to services like hotel accommodations, leisure and amusement, medical and dental services, domestic transportations, and professional fees of attending physicians.
As of December 2009, there were 213 cities and municipalities in the Philippines issuing ID cards for PWDs.
Moreover, there are so far 10 schools, foundations, and organizations catering to Filipinos with exceptionalities.
Founded in 1993, the Birthright Educators Foundation in Muntinlupa houses an average of 100 students per school year, with ages ranging from three to 42 years old of various exceptionalities.
It provides disabled students academic therapy, phonetic reading, sight reading and pre-vocational training in preparation for employment, among others, as assisted by 25 teachers.
The Cataract Foundation Philippines, Inc., on the other hand, provide services to blind children and adults and to those suffering from cataract, glaucoma, ptyregium, and uncorrected refractive errors.
The others include Cord Foundation, Inc., Dumaguete Effata Association of the Deaf, Inc., Kapatiran ng Maykapansanan sa Goa, Katuwang Sang May Kasablagan, Life Haven, Inc., Mabalacat Association of Persons with Disability, MCCID College of Technology, and Regional Association of Persons with Disabilities Region 1, Inc.
“It is very important for LGUs to accelerate the profiling of PWDs in their jurisdictions. [Also], there is an urgent need for more intensified dissemination of information on the programs and policies involving PWDs. [The government should] enforce anti-discriminatory laws and equal opportunities in employment for PWDs. [And] developing a physical environment conducive for all is very important,” the authors said.
Source:
— “Looking at Conditions of Persons with Disability in Metro Manila,” by Celia M. Reyes and Aubrey D. Tabuga, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Policy Notes, December 2009.
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