CAMARINES Sur Rep. Raymund Villafuerte on Wednesday reminded government offices and commercial establishments of their responsibility to provide priority lanes for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Villafuerte issued the reminder following last month’s determination by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the implementing rules of Republic Act 10754 mandated all commercial and government establishments to maintain express lanes for the benefit of PWDs.
The seven-page DOJ opinion, signed by Undersecretary Raul Vasquez on behalf of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, stipulated that RA 10754, or “An Act Expanding the Benefits and Privileges of PWDs,” mandated the provision of special lanes to cover all transactions of PWDs in these establishments, Villafuerte said.
“In the absence of physical express lanes in enterprises, the DOJ stressed that these establishments should nonetheless give priority to PWDs who have transactions in their places of business,” he added.
“It likewise bears stressing that the legislature used the word ‘all’ without any exception or qualification. The word ‘all’ connotes ‘comprehensiveness’ and means ‘the whole collectively considered the complete totality’. The use of the word ‘all’ implies that the law does not intend to distinguish between the establishments or transactions involving items that are accessible to everyone and items which are of limited quantity,” the DOJ explained.
The DOJ issued this position in response to an inquiry by National Council of Disability Affairs (NCDA) executive director Glenda Relova in connection with the implementation of express lanes or courtesy lanes for PWDs, pursuant to Section 10 of RA 10754, amending Section 32 of RA 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.”
Section 32 of RA 7277 mandates the “provision of express lanes for PWDs in all commercial and government establishments, in the absence thereof, priority shall be given to them.”
On the other hand, Section 10 of RA 10754 states: “Express lanes for persons with disability shall be provided in all commercial and government establishments. In the absence thereof, priority shall be given to them in all the transactions of the establishments.”
