Wednesday, January 30, 2008 The sad plight of PWDs By Rimaliza Opiña
WHEELCHAIR-bound, 56-year-old Pete Manio has reason to complain that in this country, persons with disabilities (PWDs) like him are given low priority.
From the moment they step out of their houses, facilities that are supposed to mobilize them without help from anyone is lacking in streets, walkways and buildings.
The blue lanes in streets are hardly visible for motorists to see, making PWDs vulnerable to accidents because drivers would not slow down, even if they see them crossing. The high elevation of ramps and public transportation likewise make it impossible for them to move freely.
In terms of employment, PWDs belong to the most impoverished. Not because they lack the skills or knowledge to do a certain job, but because only a small percentage of companies would want to hire them, Manio lamented.
This and the feeling of uselessness drive them to self-pity instead of being productive citizens, Manio said.
And the helping hand they get from people does not do any good, for what they want is to be able to go about their daily routines, without depending on others.
"We don't need pity, we need equal treatment," said Breaking Barriers for Children national project director Venus Ilagan.
Ilagan, also wheelchair-bound, said she failed to exercise her right to vote last elections because the precinct where she will cast her vote was located at the third floor of a Quezon City school building.
She said had the structure been built to accommodate the needs of PWDs like her, any form of assistance would have been unnecessary.
"It is the government that mainly violates the (accessibility) law," said Manio, president of the Katipunan ng mga may Kapansanan sa Pilipinas, Inc. (Kampi).
Manio pointed out that although the Magna Carta for disabled persons contains a provision that five percent of the total workforce of a company should be PWDs, this is hardly complied by even the government.
In the 2000 census of the National Statistics Office, there are more than 900,000 Filipinos with various forms of disability.
