Talisay SP urges barangays to extend help to disabled

CEBU, Philippines - The Talisay City council approved Tuesday a resolution requesting all barangays to "appropriate" and "implement" one-percent of their annual budget allocation for physically disabled residents.

"Whereas, the care for the disabled persons shall be the concern of the local government in order to foster their capacity in attaining a more meaningful, productive and satisfying life," read the resolution authored by Vice Mayor Alan Bucao.

Bucao said this move is dictated in the 1987 Constitution, Magna Carta for disabled persons (R.A. 7277) and in the Accessibility Law (B.P. 344).

Bucao also said that under Presidential Proclamation No. 240, the President of the Philippines has declared the period from the year 2003 to 2012 as the Philippine Decade of Persons with Disabilities.

In this regard, all heads of departments, chief of bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the national government, including officials of local government are "instructed to implement plans, programs, and activities geared towards the development of persons with disabilities based on the national plan of action for the decade," he said.

And that the funds needed for the implementation of this provision shall be sourced out by the concerned agencies from their annual appropriation.

The amount of which shall not be less than 1% of each agency’s total budget for the year or equivalent to the amount provided for under Section 34 and 35 of the General Appropriation Act of 2011.

Bucao said the city government has "already allocated in the annual budget an appropriation for the welfare of the disabled persons."

And on top of that, the barangay councils of the city's 22 barangays are also requested to allocate one percent of their respective annual budget for the welfare of disabled persons.

Last month, Nelberto Lasquites, a 38-year-old newly elected president of Federation of Differently-Abled Talisaynon Inc. of Cebu (FEDATIC), appealed to the city government for long-term livelihood projects for his members.

FEDATIC has more than 900 members from the city's 22 barangays.

Citing Sec. 9 (Rights and Privileges of Disabled Persons) of the Magna Carta For Disabled Persons, Lasquites said "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 has allocated P250,000 for the disabled persons welfare program.

Another concern of the federation is the city's failure to follow the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

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."

Of the more than 900 temporary workers at the city hall reportedly only about two percent of them are disabled. – THE FREEMAN