DAVAO City Councilor Enzo Villafuerte urged the city to commemorate White Cane Safety Day on August 1 and promote Persons with Disabilities (PWD) accessibility in the city's infrastructure.
Villafuerte, who chairs the Committee on Social Services, said that visual impairment is more than just a medical condition; rather, it affects the equal opportunities, mobility, and participation of PWDs in everyday life. However, despite these challenges, many visually impaired individuals show resilience and determination and continue to contribute to society.
The councilor outlined Section 3 of Republic Act (RA) No. 6759, which declared August 1 of every year as White Cane Safety Day to spread awareness of the situation of blind individuals and promote the recognition of and respect for the white cane as a symbol of independence and mobility.
Villafuerte said that the city should remain committed to the principles of the Philippine Constitution, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Meanwhile, Paul Quire-Quire, technical focal person of the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO), said that the PWD community is grateful to the Davao City government for supporting White Cane Safety Day and for having programs and initiatives that benefit PWDs.
Quire-Quire acknowledged some of the programs and measures that the city has put in place to provide an inclusive environment for PWDs, such as removing overhead cables, thereby lessening the challenges they may encounter when traveling.
Villafuerte then called on everyone to be mindful of their surroundings and to yield to those who are visually impaired. He encouraged his fellow councilors to create policies that will promote accessible infrastructure for the visually impaired and cited how it is the role of legislators to create laws that would ensure inclusive and accessible public spaces.
He encouraged everyone to show support for the observance of White Cane Safety Day and create a community where everyone can live independently and enjoy equal opportunities without barriers. He then passed a resolution showing support for the commemoration of the event.
Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus Jr. said that the City Council should call on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure that the construction of public infrastructure complies with the accessibility law.
"I have noticed that some of our sidewalks walang ramp; maybe these are for some a very minor thing, but this is one of the many other things that the government must keep watch of (I have noticed that some of our sidewalks don't have ramps. Maybe these are, for some, a very minor thing, but this is one of the many other things that the government must keep watch over)," he said.
Mahipus said that although the city requires the private sector to adhere to the accessibility law, it should also be implemented in public structures; hence, the need to put up ramps and Braille systems in public infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Villafuerte said that they are coordinating with the Office of the City Building Official (Ocbo) in inspecting structures in the city to determine whether they comply with the building code and have accessible ramps and elevators. He said that he has already coordinated with the Pdao in reminding national and department offices to coordinate with the Pdao in the design of infrastructure in the city.
"Every building should be accessible not just to us but all the PWDs here in the city of Davao," he said during his privilege speech on July 27, 2026, at the Sanguniang Panlungsod.
According to the Pdao, as of September 23, 2025, there were approximately 37,612 PWDs in Davao City with valid PWD IDs issued by the PDAO, a significant increase from the 22,000 registered in 2024.
The Pdao said that the top three disability types were physical or orthopedic disabilities, with around 10,000; followed by intellectual disabilities, with about 4,000; and cancer, with an estimated 3,000. RGP
