By Ace Dizon

The House Special Committee on Persons with Disabilities (PWD) approved on Wednesday, November 22, a bill seeking to provide a monthly stipend of P2,000 for PWDs.

House Bill (HB) 5803, authored by Quezon City (QC) Rep. Patrick Michael D. Vargas, was aimed to provide solutions for the economic dilemma of PWDs. 

Former Rep. Alfred Vargas, brother of QC Rep. Vargas, filed the Disability Support Allowance in the 18th Congress, but it was unsettled and remained pending at the committee level.

This bill sought to aid PWDs, who represent at least 12 percent of the Philippine adult population and experience hurdles in attaining education, healthcare, community and citizenship participation, as well as economic opportunities.

Furthermore, the bill strove to alleviate the financial fret of families from additional disability costs, such as private transportation, support for information and communication, assistive devices, and human assistance.

It also took into account the intensification of economic worries and vulnerabilities of PWDs due to the COVID-19 crisis as “most persons with disabilities have not yet received any support.”

HB 5803 focused on helping the general population of PWDs because significant restrictions are implemented with regard to prior measures done to support their economic situation. 

QC Rep. Vargas noted that “discount and tax exemptions are beneficial only to persons with disabilities with already a certain level of income and purchasing power, and mostly in urban areas where there are establishments that can fulfill official requirements.”

Hence, the Disability Support Allowance bill would cover all PWDs with disability ID cards regardless of employment status, income level, and/or receipt of other social protection benefits.

The P2,000 allowance would be indexed according to inflation “to preserve its impact on the standards of living and participation” of PWDs.

Funding and roll out

The funds needed for this bill, once approved, would be sourced from the annual budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The Disability Support Allowance would be progressively launched across the country, prioritizing minors with disabilities until all registered persons with disabilities receive their allowance. 

The House Committee on Appropriations is currently reviewing the bill and would provide feedback on the funding provision.

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