A resolution has been filed at the House of Representatives urging local government units (LGUs) to establish their respective Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) in accordance with Republic Act 10070 or the amended Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
In filing House Resolution 209, Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas seeks to fulfill the role of LGUs in establishing a PDAO in every province, city, and municipality, to further ensure the implementation of programs and services for persons with disabilities, as mandated by RA 10070 which was enacted in 2010.
“More than 12 years after the law was enacted, Filipino persons with disabilities remain vulnerable to marginalization with the absence of established PDAOs in many LGUs in the country,” Vargas stated in his resolution.
Out of the 81 provinces, 146 cities and 1,488 municipalities in the country, the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA) reported that only a total of 387 LGUs have established a PDAO as of June 2021.
Of the 387 LGUs, only 254 have designated Focal Persons that may function as PDAO in the absence of such and is particularly found in 4th to 7th class municipalities.
The resolution also noted the need for PDAO and its designated focal persons to actively monitor and update the data on persons with disabilities in the country to aid in the delivery of social services targeted to them.