ILOILO Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. is set to receive an award for his programs and projects for the persons with disabilities (PWDs) on December 3.

The Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled Inc. (PFRD), through its president Manuel V. Agcaoili, informed Defensor that he is one of the awardees in the 29th Apolinario Mabini Awarding Ceremonies to be held at Kalayaan Hall, Club Filipino, San Juan City, Metro Manila.

To recall, PFRD conferred on Iloilo province the 2017 Apolinario Mabini Award for the Local Government.

PFRD said the province has “qualified with the standards of a local government unit that has rendered exceptional services to the mass of citizens with disabilities within its jurisdiction in the last two years.”

PFRD is a non-government organization established in 1949 and dedicated to the promotion of measures to prevent disability, protect and rehabilitate the disabled and equalize opportunities for disabled persons.

The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) headed by Dr. Neneth Pador is in the forefront of the implementation of programs in pursuit of the administration’s vision to make Iloilo a non-handicapping and PWD-friendly province.

In 2013, the Province launched a scholarship program for PWDs where 10 poor but bright PWDs are admitted every year.

Also, the province has partnered with the Latter Day Saints Charities Foundation for the distribution of 600 wheelchairs and 300 assistive devices to qualified beneficiaries.

The two innovative programs became the basis for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Western Visayas to confer on Iloilo province the 2016 Gawad sa Makabagong Teknolohiyang Panlipunan.

Iloilo province is also one of the pioneer LGUs in the country to establish a dedicated Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) within the PSWDO.

PDAO is tasked to address the needs of PWDs in the province. (PR)