Friday, June 08, 2007 Councilor hits mayor for 'unfair treatment of disabled people' By Rimaliza Opiña
HAS society really been unfair to the plight of persons with disabilities (PWDs) that even a government office has not fully addressed their needs?
Reacting over the recent realignment of funds intended for the installation of an elevator for the disabled at the Baguio City Hall, outgoing Councilor Federico Mandapat Jr. said the elevator would have addressed the need of PWDs as they need not take the stairs going to the second floor of the government building.
"It is much regret that the members of the bids and awards committee (BAC) did not consider this project as an urgent one. They seem to have forgotten that one day, they too would get old and perhaps by that time, when they could no longer climb or experience difficulty climbing the ramps for the disabled, that they will regret having objected to the project and recommended the realignment of funds for a more urgent one," Mandapat said in a strongly-worded letter to Baguio mayor-elect Reinaldo Bautista Jr.
Mandapat happens to head the Baguio City Council committee on employment, livelihood, cooperatives, handicapped and differently-abled persons.
While the elevator was meant to cater mainly to PWDs, Mandapat said senior citizens could also use this. He pointed out that especially the elderly could not use the ramps built earlier as they have difficulty climbing up the ramps.
Bautista approved the realignment of funds to be used instead for the security plan of the City Hall, based on the recommendation of the BAC headed by Budget Officer Leticia Clemente.
In a letter to Bautista, Clemente explained that constructing an elevator that would only service the second floor and back is not practical.
"Per BAC's assessment, it is quite impractical to have an elevator that services only one floor considering that ramps for the differently-abled have already been provided. Our buildings, which include the one-stop-shop are compliant with Batas Pambansa 344 or the Law to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons. It is therefore recommended that the project be realigned to a more urgent one, which is the City Hall Building Security Plan," Clemente said, adding that should Bautista approve the recommendation, the BAC would finalize the security plan through the Buildings and Architecture Office and request the City Council to endorse the realignment.
Mandapat, meantime, appealed for the mayor to reconsider his decision, as this would serve as a reminder that Bautista has done something that benefited PWDs.
