Philippine

  • The Philippine archipelago is located at the Southeastern Asia between Philippine Sea and South China Sea, east of Vietnam with a total land area of 298,170 sq. km as against the total area of 300,000 sq. km.
  • Based on research as of July 2005 estimated total population increases to 87,857,473 not indicated number of male and female.
  • Based on the 2000 census of population reported 942,098 persons or about 1.23% of the 76.5 million Filipinos have some type of disability.
  • Disability is the inability to pursue an occupation because of physical & mental impairment in a normal work environment.
  • Economic Assistance Program for Occupationally Disabled Workers – aims to remold them as productive members of society and to restore their self-esteem. It is an attached agency of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) launched a special economic assistance program called “Katulong at Gabay nag Manggagawang May Kapansanan (KAGABAY)” would make occupationally disabled workers (ODWs) as self-reliant members of society.
  • Tulay Alay sa Taong Maykapansanan – assists in the integration of Persons with Disabilities in the mainstreaming of society through training and employment. Tulay 2000 provides training with grants to Persons Disabilities
  • Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEA-K) Integrated Development Project- provides capital assistance to women scavengers, Out of school youth, street children, Persons with Disabilities, poor families, single parents, unemployed and senior citizens. Implementation of the said program includes social preparations of beneficiaries to eventually avail of credit from existing microfinance institutions at market rates. They are provided with technical assistance and an average seed capital of P150, 000.00/25 members for a capital of micro-enterprises of members at P4, 000 to P5, 000 each.
  • Republic Act No. 1179 of 1954 which created the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (which became the Bureau of Disabled Persons Welfare of the Department of Social Welfare and Development now under the Bureau of Disabled Persons) restoring the disabled persons useful role in society by providing rehabilitation and placement services
  • Republic Act No. 2615 amending RA 1179 creating the National Council on Rehabilitation tasked to update and coordinate all the government and civic programs and set up 9 regional training centers to serve disabled persons in the rural areas
  • Republic Act No. 3562 which set the provisions for the education of the blind in the Philippines
  • The Labor Code of the Philippines which set specific provisions for disability rehabilitation services
  • Presidential Decree No. 1509, which created the national Commission Concerning Disabled Persons (NCCDP) in1978. The Commission was later replaced by the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons by virtue of Executive Order No. 123 in1987
  • Presidential Decree No. 1870 issued on June 22, 1979declaring the observance of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week every third week of July. This was later replaced by Proclamation 361 declaring the observance of the week to culminate on the birthdate of the Sublime Paralytic Apolinario Mabini
  • Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 of 1983 also known as Accessibility Law requiring provision of minimum access features in building for public use to promote the mobility of persons with disabilities
  • Republic Act No. 7277 otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons which set the provision for the social, health, educational and employment services for disabled persons. By far this has been the most comprehensive legislative measure for persons with disabilities in the Philippines. It is considered a landmark legislation that provides for the rights-based needs of PWDs
  • Presidential Proclamation 125 proclaiming the nationwide observance in the country of the Asian and Pacific (AP) Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002 and enjoining National government agencies and the private sector to support the Agenda for Action. A Philippine plan for action for the AP Decade in line with AP Agenda for Action was developed to serve as framework for concerned Gos and NGOs in planning and implementing disability-related programs
  • Social Reform Agenda which aims to empower PWDs through the promotion of equal opportunities in national affairs which was later enacted into a law, establishing the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in which the sector is represented to formulate policies relative to poverty alleviation
  • Presidential Proclamation 240 proclaiming the period 2003-2012 as the Philippine Decade of Persons with Disabilities
  • Resources for the Blind
  • HACI
  • Helping Hands Organization of PWD, Inc.
  • Nova Foundation
  • Ayala Foundation
  • AMCHA
  • Goodwill Industries
  • The Department of Social Welfare and Development provides social protection and promotes the rights welfare of the poor, vulnerable and the disadvantage individual, family and community to contribute to poverty alleviation and empowerment through social welfare development policies, programs, projects and services implemented with or through Local Government Units, Non-Government Organizations, People’s Organizations, Government Organizations and other members of civil society. A society where the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals, families and communities are empowered for an improved quality of life.
  • The Department established, through a Presidential Decree, a vocational rehabilitation facility distributed to the three areas of the country, Luzon Visayas and Mindanao. These facilities are known as the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Centers (AVRC I – Luzon, AVRC II – Visayas, AVRC III – Mindanao and NVRC – NCR). The center provides a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation programs whish will enable PWDs to acquire social and vocational skills for eventual employment. It provides integrated services such as social adjustment, psychological and vocational assessment, vocational training, medical and dental services and vocational placement services. AVRC II accepts applicants from the Visayas Regions (VI, VII & VIII) but some of PWDs from Mindanao prefer to acquire vocational skills in AVRC II for it has an easy access in terms of transportation and has less risk. At AVRC II, as many as 5,000 PWDs have availed on it services.
  • The Department of Social Welfare and Development provides social protection and promotes the rights Therapeutic Massage, Computer Technology, Consumer Electronics. Commercial Arts and Crafts, Cosmetology Dress and Apparel Technology and Electric Motor Repair are the major courses offered at AVRC II. Since the rehabilitation of PWDs not only focus on vocational skills but also with social preparation for mainstreaming of society for PWDS such as Orientation and Mobility, Sign Language, Script Reading and Writing, Basic Arithmetic, Computer Literacy for the Blind, Daily living skills development, Adapted sports activity and Social Group Treatment Program are related courses offered for the total rehabilitation of PWDS.
  • A Physical Therapy Unit was added to the center in order to provide therapy to our PWDS for free. This service is a tie up project with Cebu Doctors College of Rehabilitative Services (CDCRS).
  • Prosthesis Workshop is also found in the center to manufacture prosthesis for amputated PWDs who wanted to acquire prosthetic device for physical restoration.
  • The Department of Social Welfare and Development provides social protection and promotes the rights the employment placement services of AVRC II are categorized into two: Open & Self Employment. Open employment is generating Php 3,000 to Php 4,500 salary per month for our clients and P4,500 to Php 5,500 for our self employed clients.
  • Employment opportunities for trained clients of center-based facilities and community-based settings have been developed and intensified through the three outlets of employment.
  • Self-Employment focuses on socio-economic upliftment of unemployed and underemployed persons with disabilities. A major thrust of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) before the devolution of its services, self-employment assistance, which is now being implemented by local government units, involves capital transfers to enable the trained persons with disability to engage in income generating projects. The Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with NCWDP, develop a program called Assistance Package for Disabled Persons. This program is composed of several projects and activities designed to equip PWDs with livelihood and entrepreneurial skills such as candle making, food processing, Christmas decorations making, participation in trade fairs. Self-help groups of PWDS like KAMPI provide financial assistance to PWDs and parents of children with disabilities to undertake livelihood activities.
  • Employment opportunities for trained clients of center-based facilities and community-based settings have been developed and Open-Employment Opportunities are not as readily available due to the unemployment problem of the country and inadequate/lack of educational/skills of PWDs. But even with limited jobs where the persons with disability can compete with non-disabled persons, still we skilled PWDs who are earning salaries like their able bodied counterpart
  • The Department of Labor and Employment has conducted several Jobs Fair for PWDs inviting and encouraging different private companies to hire qualified PWDs. To further boost the employment of PWDs, DOLE, and Bureau of Employment launched the PHIL.JOB.NET in 1999. This is an automated job and applicant matching system, which aims to fast-track job seekers search for employment. In support of this, the NCWDP embarked on the PWD Profiler System, a comprehensive pool of decision-makers’ client targeting scheme also focused on the PWDs in need of work
  • A non-government organization like the Ayala Foundation provides employment to PWDS by referring them to companies. It has established an employment referral network composed of business companies/firms. Nova Foundation with a PWD as its president hires and trains deaf people in computer technology i.e. encoding
  • The government is a major employer of PWDs. They’re about 2,450 employed in the government agencies including NGAs, GOCCs, SUCs and government hospitals as of August 2002. There are about 1,185 PWD employed in the local government units
  • In the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities mentioned earlier as the landmark legislation includes specific provisions on tax incentives for private entities that will employ PWDs as well as those companies which will improve and modify their physical facilities in order to provide reasonable accommodation for PWDs. Further it has a provision that mandates government agencies engaged in social development to reserve 5% of their casual, emergency, contractual positions to qualified PWDs
  • Sheltered Workshops were also set up to meet the needs of persons with disability who are not yet qualified for open or self-employment. This type of work undertaken in these workshops includes: manufacture of goods, sub-contract jobs, and salvage and repair service contract. In recent years, we have seen the mergence of different types of sheltered workshops such as Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Philippine Association of the Deaf, those managed and maintained by government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development like the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Centers (AVRC). At present we have 4 AVRCs in the National Capital Region (NCR), Dagupan, Pangasinan, Cebu City and Zamboanga City. There are rehabilitation sheltered workshops in Quezon City, Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City and those managed by PWDs themselves and finance by either the private organizations or the government.
  • In February 24, 1994, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of social Welfare and Development joined efforts to launch a special program called Tulay 2000, which means “Tulong Allalay sa Taong Maykapansanan”. Translated to English it means assistance to Persons with Disabilities.
  • Increased in the unemployment / underemployment rate which greatly affect the sector
  • More training/capability building programs on Information Technology (IT)
  • Lack of system in marketing the products of PWDs
  • Lack of rehabilitation facilities/production centers in the rural areas
  • Lack of capital or limited reach of self-employment scheme (grant of small capital to undertake livelihood activities)
  • Inaccessible environment i.e. work[place
  • Shortage of trained staff/manpower who can provide vocational counseling, career planning and job placement services for PWDs
  • Inadequate advocacy/IEC support to promote positive attitude and elimination or discrimination against the employment of Pads
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