A DAVAO City councilor is pushing for a one-stop-shop for persons with special needs as this is lacking in the city.
Councilor Antoinette Principe, on Wednesday, September 25, said she is pushing for the establishment of an early intervention and holistic care center for persons with special needs who will be given interventions on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
The councilor filed this proposal for first reading on Tuesday, September 24, during the regular session of the 19th City Council.
She said the center will cater to children and youth with intellectual disability, global developmental delay, communication disorders, autism spectrum disorder, motor disorder, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
While the city has private special centers for these persons, but she said there are only few of them existing.
“Personally, as a mother of child with Down syndrome, they need all the therapy that they need. Here in Davao, there's no center where everything is there. You need to move from one therapy center to another just to have the therapy session,” Principe said on Wednesday during a press conference at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Principe said the idea for a special care center was inspired during a benchmarking activity she attended in Valenzuela City, along with City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) head Maria Luisa Bermudo.
She said Valenzuela pushed for the creation of the center through an ordinance, which gave way for its construction in 2016 and was able to operate in 2017.
The councilor said she already talked to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on her proposal.
She also revealed the mayor instructed her not to indicate the needed amount since the city will still find a budget for it.
“If we would base the amount from Valenzuela, the building costs P40 million, while the equipment need for the center is P20 million. The center annually runs with P20 million as operating expenses,” Principe said, adding the city had been utilizing one percent from their Special Education Fund (SEF) sourced from real property tax collection.
She said that Davao City reportedly still has P500 million from the SEF.
She also said Duterte-Carpio told her the center can source the budget from the general fund.
“While this proposal is still in the conceptual stage, I am confident that this august body will recognize the importance and necessity of having a special care center as I appeal for your support in the interest or our citizens and of the children with special needs,” Principe said.
However, the city has yet to scout a location for it although she said Bermudo is eyeing to establish the center beside the Cinematheque Center at Palma Gil Street.
Based on the record from the CSSDO, there are 2,838 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the city from January to June this year.