Tuesday, July 17, 2007 City structures not disabled-friendly By Carlo P. Mallo
DAVAO City, despite its efforts to provide accessibility to all sectors, remains to be unfriendly to persons with disability and the Accessibility Law of 1983, after more than 20 years of implementation, has yet to be felt.
According to Armando Amancio, council member of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the city remains to be inaccessible to persons with disability. He said the lack or absence of drop off ramps in the city's main thoroughfares is one example.
"The implementation of the Accessibility Law in the city is not yet in full force," Amancio said in Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao.
One of the primary concerns of the persons with disability sector right now is the lack of accessibility in most places in the city. Apart from sidewalks that do not have ramps, there are also some institutions that still fail to provide these. This usually results in the unavailability of education and other basic services to persons with disability.
He asserted that the failure of Republic Act 7277, or the Magna Carta for the disabled persons, is now being made up for by the new law, or Republic Act 9442. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law last April RA 9442, or the amended Magna Carta for the disabled persons.
The new law aims to provide more privileges and benefits that would help alleviate the standard of living for persons with disability. "More than the protection of the rights of persons with disability, we are pushing for the fulfillment of the human rights of these people," said Commission on Human Rights Regional Director Alberto Sipaco Jr., who is also chair of the Regional Council for Persons with Disability.
Although discrimination is scarce, Amancio asserted that it still has not fully diminished, especially in the workforce. "With the difficulty of landing a job these days, there is double discrimination for those persons with disability," Amancio added.
Despite the odds that his sector is facing right now, Amancio still hopes that the local government would be able to address their woes just as it hopes to address the concerns of other citizens of the city.
