In light of the bridge that fell into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota last week, we wrote an article last Monday asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) whether there’s anyone maintaining the two bridges spanning the Mactan Channel.
When the Fernan Bridge opened to the public eight years ago we were told in the Infrastructure Utilities Committee (IUC) now renamed the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) that the old Mactan Bridge would have to be closed to traffic for the needed repairs. Eight years have passed and we haven’t heard from the DPWH since. What I do remember is that the DPWH then found it imminent to shut down the old bridge in order to check its structural integrity and fix what problems might surface during the inspection period.
Unfortunately, we haven’t heard a peep from anyone in the DPWH on the issues that we raised. I got word from a very reliable source, whose name we are withholding that the DPWH here cannot make that decision to fix the old bridge. What we are gravely concerned about is that these decision-makers are taking their sweet time in finding out whether the old bridge is structurally sound or not. While it may have taken a disaster from Minneapolis to remind us of the potential dangers that may befall the old bridge, that disaster hasn’t triggered any concerns from the DPWH on the status of our bridges. DPWH officials here ought to show us that they, too, are concerned about the two bridges.
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The end of July was dubbed the National Disability Week with the theme “Kung may Access, may Success!” If you’ve been to the United States or Europe, you can’t help but notice that they have toilet facilities for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) whether you’re in the airport, train stop or in the shopping malls. This is because 1st world countries have completely understood the need for accessibility for all PWDs, which includes the elderly and pregnant women.
In the Philippines, we do have a law on Accessibility dubbed B.P. 344, which hopes to implement access for PWDs in all our public and private buildings, especially our schools. It is sad though that while we have this law in place, too many government and private buildings still refuse to give access to PWDs. But if you go to multinational establishments or eat in internationally-known food chains like McDonald’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) you would know that having facilities for the disabled is a standard for them. So why can’t we make it a standard for Pinoy companies?
Today is the 42nd Founding Anniversary of the Cebu Society for Crippled Children, Inc. (CSCCI) which my late mother Ascension S. Avila founded after our youngest sister Adela A. Kono had polio at the age of two.
At that time, all our schools from kindergarten to High School and College were not disabled friendly, so the only way for PWDs to get an education was through the grade school that my mom established with the CSCCI inside the Don Vicente Sotto Medical Center.
It will be my mother’s 1st death anniversary on Monday Aug.13th and quite timely, the CSCCI will inaugurate today its new school called the Guardian Angel’s School for Children with Orthopedic Disabilities at their new location inside the Southwestern University (SWU), courtesy of President Andrew Aznar. Because SWU allowed this school to move to their grounds, SWU now have the distinction of being the only private elementary school that is disable-friendly complete with toilet facilities.
We thank the members of the CSCCI Board especially its new President Mrs. Carmen Martinez for continuing the dreams and aspirations of my mother bringing hope to disabled children in Cebu. My sister Adela Kono is the Vice-Chairman of the Regional Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (RCWDP) and continues her relentless drive to have the Accessibility Law B.P. 344 enforced in all schools and private and public buildings.
If only our schools were accessible way back in the 60’s then there would have been no need for my mother to have a school for the crippled children. We Filipinos are known for caring for our old folks and not send them to a home for the aged like they do in America. Yet, it just makes me wonder why most of our homes are not even disabled friendly. The Western countries have such facilities as part of their normal service. If we want to be a 1st World country, then let’s adopt what they are doing for PWDs. What we need to do is remove the barriers in the heads of people and finally accept the reality that disabled people have places to go just like you and me.
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