BAGUIO City Councilor Arthur Allad-iw assured the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be taken into priority in this time of global emergency.
“We included them in our recent legislations as among the priority like that of the most needy poor to receive relief from the city, that would be for the CSWDO (City Social Welfare and Development Office), barangay to include in coordination, the same with PWDs who are detached from their work, like the informal sectors, job orders, should also get support from the Dole financial support,” Allad–iw said.
Based on records of the CSWDO, there are 1,870 PWD identification cards that were issued as of June with 284 visual, 262 orthopedic, 330 deaf, 101 speech, 288 learning, 195 mental, 225 multiple, 160 chronic illness with disability and 26 psychosocial.
However, Allad–iw said the question is “with the month long quarantine, would this be enough? Many PWDs are actually worried as this imposed quarantine will actually make them hungry.”
“The city ordinance mandates barangay PWD officer/focal person for data gathering in the barangay level, ‘yung mga PWD na nasa data nila automatic isama sa support of any kind,” added.
Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong in a statement apologized to PWDs in the city for the inadvertently failing to consider the vulnerable and marginalized sector in the provision of the needed assistance for those that were heavily impacted by the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.
Magalong vowed to make amends in consultation with the sector and prioritize the needs of the PWDs through the help desk point person as well as Allad-iw.