DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo (4th from right) and Assistant Secretary Anton Hernandez (3rd from right) beam as they pose with some PWD-participants of the national summit during the symbolic turn over of the PWD 10-Point Development Agenda.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently hosted the first National Summit of Persons with Disabilities (PWDS) with the theme, “Together, Creating an Enabling Environment and Self-Sufficiency of Persons with Disabilities”, which paved the way for the more than 350 PWDs to bring up their issues and to propose programs and services which they deemed appropriate to help them become productive members of society.

The PWDs participated in various workshops where they discussed their present situation and needs which became the reference for the drafting of their proposed 10-Point Development Agenda.

They turned over the agenda to DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo and DSWD Assistant Secretary Anton Hernandez.

The 10-Point Development Agenda are:

• Ensure access to free, quality health services that respect the dignity of Persons with Disabilities including medicines, diagnostic examinations, treatment, rehabilitation and referral service

• Provision of Persons with Disability-friendly educational assistance in order to avail formal and non-formal education

• Creation of livelihood opportunities and jobs that provide just compensation and humane work environment for Persons with Disabilities

• Gender-responsive government programs and services that allow full participation and empowerment of Persons with Disabilities including their gender preference

• Establishment of Persons with Disability-friendly public facilities that safeguard the health and allow safe mobility of Persons with Disabilities in accessing transportation, communications, recreation and other social services

• Integrate the special needs of Persons with Disabilities in crafting and implementing disaster-preparedness plan of actions

• Engage the active participation of Civil Society Organizations of Persons with Disabilities as an important sector in community development and poverty alleviation programs of the government

• Strict enforcement of existing policies and laws that support the welfare of Persons with Disabilities such as RA10524 and Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities; and, continuous enactment of Persons with Disabilities’ responsive policies

• Allocate regular budget and ensure sustainable provision of social protection for Persons with Disabilities, and

• Reliable profiling of Persons with Disabilities to include persons with chronic illness

Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo said that the summit is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s thrust of “gikan sa masa, para sa masa (from the masses for the masses)” of public service.

She added, “Walang mas nakakaalam kung ano ang makakabubuti sa mga Persons with Disabilities kundi kayo, kaya minabuti nating magkaroon ng national summit para sa inyo.”

The proposed 10-Point Development Agenda will go through further review before this will be submitted to President Rodrigo R. Duterte for inclusion in his Philippine Development Plan (PDP). ###