SOLON PUSHES FOR P2,000 MONTHLY ALLOWANCE FOR PWDs 

A LAWMAKER from Quezon City has filed a proposed measure pushing for a  P2,000 monthly allowance for all persons with disabilities (PWDs) regardless of their employment status.

The bill was sought in commemoration of the International Day of People with Disability.

Quezon City 5th district Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas on Friday said that he has filed House Bill (HB) No. 3770 or the proposed Disability Support Allowance for Persons with Disabilities Act, which pushes for stronger support to PWDs, so that “long-standing socioeconomic barriers” can be addressed.

HB No. 3770, if enacted, establishes the Disability Support Allowance Program, a universal P2,000 monthly assistance that will be “indexed to inflation to preserve its impact on the  standards of living and participation of persons with disabilities.”

The Quezon City solon said the reality is that PWDs often experience hardships compared to the rest of the population, the reason why the government must assist them.

“Hindi pantay ang lipunan, lalo na para sa mga persons with disability. Kaya tungkulin nating isa-isahin at ayusin ang mga bagay na naglalagay sa kanila sa dehado,” Vargas said.

Under the proposed measure, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will be the implementing agency.

Meanwhile, the agencies that will be in charge of developing the Disability Support Allowance Program are the National Council on Disability Affairs, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority, local government units, representatives from organizations of PWDs and other  relevant stakeholders

Vargas proposed that all PWDs with a valid disability ID will get the fixed monthly PWD allowance, regardless of employment status and income level. 

It would also not discriminate against recipients of the government’s conditional cash transfer program and those receiving other discounts like those for senior citizens.

The bill stated that the allowance shall be applicable to all PWDs with disability ID card regardless of their employment status, as well as income level and/or receipt of other social protection benefits such as 4Ps and social pension for indigent senior citizens.

Vargas said that there would be three phases for the fixed PWD monthly allowance measure’s implementation, in case it is signed into law by the President. He said the initial phase is to be implemented within a maximum time frame of three years and will cover all PWDs aged 17 and below; the second phase to be implemented within a maximum time frame of three years thereafter and will expand the coverage of Phase 1 to include PWDs aged 18 to 59 while the final phase will expand the coverage to the rest of the PWD population.