PWDs in Talisay seek long-term employment

CEBU, Philippines - The association of people with disabilities in Talisay City is asking the city government to provide them with livelihood opportunities that would make them productive in a long-term basis.

Nelberto Lasquites, 38, the newly-elected president of the Federation of Differently-Abled Talisaynon Inc. of Cebu (FEDATIC), said the absence of long-term livelihood opportunities remains a major concern of the group. Lasquites himself is a computer engineer.

With FEDATIC's more than 900 members, Lasquites said the group cannot fund livelihood projects on its own. He hopes that the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) will make true its assurance to support them.

Section 9 (Rights and Privileges of Disabled Persons.) of the Magna Carta For Disabled Persons states, "Consistent with the principle of equal opportunity for disabled workers and workers in general, the State shall take appropriate vocational rehabilitation measures that shall serve to develop the skills and potentials of disabled persons and enable them to compete favorably for available productive and remunerative employment opportunities in the labor market."

From its P463 million annual budget for 2011, the city allocated P250,000 for programs for people with disabilities.

FEDATIC was established in 2005 and now holds office at a small corner at the Talisay City Hall.

Jose Lester Alburo, Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) coordinator, said what they can offer members of the federation are skills training that can help them get jobs. PDAO is providing basic computer training and candle making to the federation.

Alburo admits that the city government has not fully implemented the laws that are supposed to help ease the lives of people with disabilities. For example, he noted that many public and private structures are "not friendly" to PWD's owing to the absence of special access like ramps.

The city government has also reportedly failed to follow the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons as far as equal opportunities is concerned. Section 5 (Equal Opportunity for Employment) of this Magna Carta dictates that "five percent of all casual emergency and contractual positions in the Departments of Social Welfare and Development; Health; Education, Culture and Sports; and other government agencies, offices or corporations engaged in social development shall be reserved for disabled persons."

He said that with the more than 900 temporary workers at City Hall, only about two percent are people with disabilities.

The new set of officers of FEDATIC took their oath before Mayor Socrates Fernandez yesterday morning. /JMO (FREEMAN)