Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and other lawmakers renewed their call for the approval of the bill pushing for a monthly cash aid of P1,000 for indigent persons with disability to aid them with their basic needs.
House Bill 1754 co-authored by Reps. Eric and Edvic Yap, Jocelyn Tulfo, Ralph Tulfo, and Jeffrey Soriano noted many PWDs are burdened with other expenses, such as medical bills.
Yap said with the skyrocketing prices of basic goods and other commodities, the bill could ease the plight of PWDs.
The bill proposed PWDs experience disproportionately high poverty rates as they have additional expenditures related to their disability, which depend on their functional difficulties, health conditions, and support needs and other expenses related to the lack of accessibility and inclusiveness in their communities.
“To enable them to overcome the social barriers deterring them to have better life conditions, they need more comprehensive, inclusive and adequate support,” the bill reads.
Yap said despite current legislations which aim to provide support in terms of employment, education, health, and accessibility among others, PWDs are still at a disadvantage in several facets of society.
The proposal seeks to institute an enabling mechanism for indigent PWDs to provide for their immediate needs by granting them a monthly subsidy.
Under the proposal, all poor PWDs, as certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the National Council on Disability Affairs, will receive the subsidy from the DSWD.
The assistance may be waived if the PWD is capable of supporting their own or their family, as assessed by the DSWD field office.
Anyone who deliberately commits fraud to enroll a PWD who is not indigent will be faced with a fine of not less than P50,000 but not more than P200,000, depending on whether or not it is a first or a repeat violation. — Ofelia C. Empian
