Sample of the new Philippine PWD ID issued by the NCDA. Layout by Zabrina Hong. Photo courtesy of Philippine Information Agency
Senate Bill No. 1405 seeks to grant lifetime validity to identification cards issued to persons with disabilities (PWDs), aiming to spare them the inconvenience and expense of periodic renewals.
Filed on Sunday, Oct. 26, by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, Senator Erwin Tulfo, it proposes to amend Republic Act No. 7277, or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability.
“This is the plight of Filipino PWDs: once their ID expires, they need to line up again to get their requirements and they need money for transport fares… It is like adding insult to injury,” Tulfo said in a statement.
Under the existing law, PWDs are entitled to a 20% discount on goods and services, as well as benefits and privileges in employment, education, and other sectors. Tulfo said the proposed lifetime validity of PWD IDs would ensure uninterrupted access to these rights.
“Their PWD IDs are very important because they receive their benefits through that card. Giving expiry dates to their IDs is like depriving them of access to benefits given to them by law,” he added.
Several similar measures have been previously filed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Tulfo also called for better implementation of the Magna Carta for PWDs and the cooperation of Local Government Units (LGUs) to ease the burdens faced by the cardholders and better streamline public service.
Similar measures have been filed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives but have yet to be enacted.
Tulfo also urged LGUs to strengthen the implementation of the Magna Carta for PWDs and streamline services to ease the burden on beneficiaries.