Following reports of fake persons with disability identification cards (IDs) proliferating in public, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) appeals to citizens to report individuals who are facilitating this illegal act to avail of the benefits and privileges for persons with disability.

Based on Administrative Order No. 001, Series of 2008, issued by the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), persons with disability IDs, shall only be issued to persons with permanent disabilities due to any one or more of the following conditions: psychosocial, chronic illness, learning, mental, visual, orthopedic, speech, and hearing conditions. These include persons suffering from disabling diseases resulting to their limitations to perform day-to-day activities as normally as possible.

There must be appropriate documentation confirming the medical or disability condition of a person applying for a persons with disability ID. The documents may be any of the following: Apparent Disability Medical Certificate issued by a licensed private or government physician; School Assessment issued by a licensed teacher and duly signed by the school principal; or a Certificate of Disability issued by the head of the business establishment or head of the non-government organization (NGO). On the other hand, those with non-apparent disability must secure a Non-Apparent Disability Certificate from a licensed private or government physician.

Issuance of the persons with disability ID will only be through the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), located in every city or municipality around the country.

DSWD urges the public to report incidents involving the sale of fake IDs to the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), an attached agency of Department, through  council@ncda.gov.ph. They can also report to the PDAO or to any law enforcement agency.

To verify the authenticity of persons with disability ID cards, the public may check the name of the ID owner with the Philippine Registry of Persons with Disability, which is managed by the Department of Health (DOH), through https://pwd.doh.gov.ph/login.php, or in the PDAO where the ID was issued.

Meanwhile, the Department is in close coordination with DOH, NCDA, local government units, and law enforcement agencies to monitor the proliferation of fake persons with disability IDs.

DSWD stresses that falsification of public documents and the use of falsified documents are criminal offenses and are punishable under the Revised Penal Code.

The Department enjoins the public to work together to protect and ensure that the rights, benefits, and privileges of persons with disability are not subjected to abuses by unscrupulous individuals or groups. -30-