Philippine Institute for Development Studies

Surian sa mga Pag-aaral Pangkaunlaran ng Pilipinas

Policy Awareness and Participation

by Persons with Disability
in the Philippines
Aubrey D. Tabuga

DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES NO. 2013-11

The PIDS Discussion Paper Series

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January 2013

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 Policy Awareness and Participation by Persons with Disability in the Philippines 1

Aubrey Duldulao Tabuga

(DRAFT: NOT FOR CITATION)

Abstract

The Philippines had laid down the groundwork for improving the welfare of persons with

disability (PWD) two decades ago when it enacted the Magna Carta for Persons with

Disability. Several other policies have been formulated since then to ensure that PWDs can

have the chance to live the way they so desire. However, recent surveys reveal that despite

this, persons with disability rarely benefit from these legislations and other programs that

have been developed for their advancement. There is a multitude of interplaying factors that

constrain them from benefiting from such efforts and these have to be addressed first. This

paper discusses the current situation of PWDs in terms of awareness and participation with

the objective of identifying the various constraints that they face.

Keywords: person with disability, disability, PWD, visual impairment, blind, mobility
impairment, deaf persons, survey

JEL classification : J14, J18

1
To be published as a chapter in Yamagata, T., Mori, S., Reyes. CM., editors. Poverty Reduction of the
Disabled: Livelihood of Persons with Disability in the Philippines. Oxford: Routledge. Forthcoming 2013.

1
 (DRAFT: NOT FOR CITATION)

Policy Awareness and Participation by Persons with Disability in the Philippines

Aubrey Duldulao Tabuga

“The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have

it make some difference that you have lived at all.”—Leo Rosten

Introduction

The Philippines is at par with several developed nations in Asia and the Pacific such as Japan

and South Korea in terms of enacting laws aimed at improving the welfare of persons with

disability (PWDs). 1 The most notable of these policies is the Magna Carta for Persons with

Disability, approved in 1992. There are at least 9 other laws that have already been in

existence in as early as 1954. Yet the PWDs in the Philippines remain a marginalized portion

of the population. Mostly unaware of such laws, the typical Filipino with disability fails to

benefit from these laws, is largely dependent on his/her family, and faces various physical,

social and economic constraints.

The body of literature on the life of persons with disability in the Philippines is very limited.

For one, the area of disability as a research subject suffers from huge data constraints. In fact,

the most recent government estimate of PWD in the Philippines was that from the 2000

Census of Population and Housing conducted by the National Statistics Office putting the

number of PWD at 1.2 percent of the total population (or 942,000). The key household

surveys conducted by the NSO also do not include variables on disability. Disabled People’s

Organizations in fact face difficulty in their advocacy efforts and clamour for government

assistance because of lack of concrete data on the situation of PWDs in the country.

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It is likewise very difficult to find documents that would describe the impact of policies on

the daily life of PWDs. Knowing the impacts would be very essential in terms of fine-tuning

programs and policies so that these become more useful and effective. This paper examines

the implementation of key disability laws in terms of how far they have reached the PWDs

and up to what extent the PWDs have benefited from these. This is done by examining the

situation of PWDs in terms of policy awareness and their participation in special treatments

and discount programs stipulated by the law for their inter-personal, social, and economic

advancement.

Review of literature

Lamoureux, Hassell, and Keeffe (2004) studied the determinants of participation in activities

of daily living by people with impaired vision. The study noted that the areas of greatest

restriction of participation were those associated with reading, outdoor mobility, participation

in leisure activities, and shopping. The study found that distance visual acuity, the thing

which is tested to understand the degree of vision loss 2; physical health; and mental health

explain a large part of the variation in the participation of people with impaired vision in

daily living activities. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving the lives of the visually

impaired may include approaches to improve not just in terms of vision-related rehabilitation

but also mental and physical health.

Alma, Van Der Mei, Melis-Dankers, Van Tilburg, Groothoff, and Suurmeijer (2011) studied

the participation of visually-impaired (VI) elderly persons. They noted that VI elderly

persons are doubly burdened by aging and loss of vision. The study reported that the VI

elderly persons do participate in society, but they do less than their peers in some domains

namely household and sports activities, and on recreational places. Alma (2012) found that a

major determinant of participation among VI elderly persons is perceived importance. The

study likewise noted that physical health, social and psychological status, also affects

3
participation. The study recommends that future research works should also look at how

environmental factors affect participation.

A 2004 survey by Ireland’s National Disability Authority points that what restricts social

participation of people with disability is more about accessibility problems rather than health

issues. Hence, their social lives are more concentrated in their own homes rather than outside.

Others have studied the participation of PWDs in physical activities such as that by Rimmer,

Riley, Wang, Rauworth, and Jurkowski (2004). This study found a multitude of factors acting

as barriers or facilitators of participation. They identified themes affecting participation—(1)

those relating to the built and natural environment; (2) economic issues; (3) emotional and

psychological barriers; (4) equipment barriers; (5) barriers related to the use and

interpretation of guidelines, codes, regulations, and laws; (6) information-related barriers; (7)

professional knowledge, education, and training issues; (8) perceptions and attitudes of non-

PWD, including professionals; (9) policies and procedures both at the facility and community

level; and (10) availability of resources.

These studies apply to PWD populations in developed countries. The objective of this report

is to elucidate on factors that affect policy awareness and participation among PWDs in a

developing country setting by using survey data on PWDs in the Philippines.

Results from the PIDS 2008 and 2010 survey on PWDs

Awareness on disability laws and participation in discount privileges

There is low awareness on the Magna Carta, its amendment, or any of the provisions of the

law. This is the finding of two recent surveys conducted by the authors. In the rural survey,

conducted in 2010 in Rosario, Batangas, only about 3 in 10 (29.2%) of the 106 respondents

has reported having heard or being aware of any policy that concerns them. The situation in

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the urban areas, surveyed in 2008 in Metro Manila, is much better, with 67% of the 403

respondents reported being aware of any of the policies or their provisions.

Among the urban respondents, the blind have the highest awareness rate at 80 percent,

followed by those with mobility impairment at 66 percent. Around 6 out of 10 deaf also

reported being aware while only 3 in 10 persons who have multiple impairments were aware.

Meanwhile, there are slightly more women (69%) than men (66%) in the urban survey who

expressed having knowledge of any sort about disability policies. In contrast, more men

(34%) than women (24%) in the rural survey have reported awareness. Elderly PWDs have

lower awareness rate than younger ones. This is observed from both urban and rural surveys.

In fact, the relationship between awareness and age seems to exhibit a non-linear pattern

where awareness rate increases with age but decreases among very old people.

Meanwhile, there are considerable differences in awareness rate among the cities. Makati, the

country’s business capital, which is known for its programs and initiatives in advancing the

rights and welfare of PWDs, has the highest proportion of samples that are aware of disability

laws with 90 percent. Quezon City one of the richer cities targeted in the study places second

with 65 percent. Meanwhile, 61 percent of the respondents in Valenzuela City which is a

relatively poorer city compared to Makati and Quezon City, reported being aware. Barely

half (43%) of those from Pasay, a relatively poorer locality, are aware.

Because of low awareness, PWDs have very low participation in discount privileges that the

law mandated. In the two surveys conducted, the respondents were asked whether they have

ever benefited or enjoyed each of these discount privileges at least once in the past. In

particular, only one-third (34%) of the respondents in the urban areas have benefited at least

once in the land transport discount. The land transport discount refers to the bus fare and train

ticket discounts, and does not cover taxi cabs and tricycles. There are very few PWD

5
participants in the other types of discounts, only 6 percent have availed that for air travel, 8

percent in hotels and restaurants, and about 10 percent in medical services. Meanwhile, only

6 percent of the PWDs in the rural survey have ever participated in the transport discount and

barely in the other discount privileges (see Table 1).

Table 1. Proportion of respondents who have

availed of the discounts by discount privilege
Urban Rural
Discount privilege (n=403) (n=106)
Hotel and restaurants 7.7 5.7
Cinema and others 14.4 0
Medical and dental (public) 9.2 2.8
Medical and dental (private) 9.7 1.9
Air travel 6.5 0
Land transportation 34.2 5.7
Source of Basic Data: PWD Survey 2008 & 2010

In some cases, even those who are aware are not able to take advantage of the benefits. For

instance in the case of discount privileges, 39 percent of those who are aware, have reported

that they have never enjoyed or availed of any of the discounts in various services and

facilities. It is more dismal in the rural areas where two-thirds of those who have had prior

knowledge, never participated in any of these discounts.

The inability to participate and exercise their rights despite being aware is attributed to

several factors. Based on the survey, the most common reason of not availing the discounts is

not being able to go out. Another common reason is not having the PWD ID which is a

requirement, though in some cases, some PWDs are able to get discounts out of kindness of

the establishment owner or the public transport operator without showing a PWD ID. Some

respondents also reported that the public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers/conductors are not

aware of the discount privileges and thus, they were not given the discount despite having

expressed that they are entitled to the discount.

6
The abovementioned factors can be categorized into separate themes -1) the PWDs’ social

participation or range of movements, 2) the ability of the governments to implement the

mandates of providing identification for PWDs, informing or educating the public, and

enforcing disability laws. There are cross-cutting issues as well that tends to affect these

factors—these concern the physical environment and social perception of the public in

general. These shall be discussed along the way in the succeeding sections.

Social participation and range of movements

About half (48%) of the PWDs in the urban areas are members in an organization, be it a

self-help, religious, or other types of organization. Among the 3 main types of impairment

(i.e. mobility, visual, and hearing), there are more members among the blind, and there are

least among the deaf. Membership is highest among those from Makati, and lowest among

the PWD samples in Pasay. Membership is slightly higher among women than men.

While the urban PWDs may have greater opportunities for social participation through

membership in organizations, those in the rural areas are way lacking. There are only around

2 out of 10 who are members in organizations. The social interaction of these PWDs is

confined mainly within their own households and immediate neighbours who are mostly

close relatives. They interact very rarely with people from other neighbourhoods or villages.

When they were asked why they do not come out from their homes to engage in social

activities, they attribute it mainly on their disability. Their ability to participate in the society

in general is manifested by their mobility or range of movements.

PWDs’ range of movements is assessed in the surveys by looking at the frequency of visits

they make in common places like the market and church. Those who are members of

organizations were also asked how frequent they attend organizational meetings and other

activities. The results show that on the average, a PWD goes to the market only about 5 times

7
a month. This widely varies depending on location and type of disability. As expected, the

deaf, without visual and physical mobility constraints, makes the most frequent visits to the

market at over 5 times. Those with mobility impairment also visit the market about 5 times

on the average. If those using wheelchairs are to be excluded, the average visits a mobility-

impaired person makes rise to 6. There is lower range of movement among the blind (4

times) and those with multiple impairments (2 times). Meanwhile, in urban Valenzuela and

Makati, the average number of visits the PWDs make to the market is 6 to 7 but in rural

areas—only 2 times per month.

This may not seem to be out of the ordinary if the concept of market we use is confined to

say, the supermarket or the village’s main market but in the survey the concept used is broad

as it encompasses even the small, informal stores in the neighbourhood like the “sari-sari

stores” and “talipapa” (small informal markets by the corner) which are typical in the

country. The reason behind this is to account for the range of movements of all PWDs

including those living in very remote areas, where supermarkets may not be present. The

findings indicate a limited range of movements with respect to going to the market. Likewise,

it was found that more often; the PWD members would rely on the other members of the

family to do chores that are normally done outside the house.

Meanwhile, a PWD goes to places of worship about thrice a month which may not be too far

from the average times an able person goes to the church, assuming that person of

comparable stature is a Catholic and visits the church every Sunday or around 4 times a

month. Those in the urban areas visit more frequently, around 4 times while those in the rural

areas only once. Interestingly, the mobility-impaired ones visit the church more frequently,

around 4 times, than the other types.

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The PWDs who are members of organizations make about 5 visits in a month to attend to

their group’s meetings and other activities. This result however pertains mainly to those in

the urban areas, for the rural counterparts barely attend organizational activities. The blind

turned out to be attending organizational matters more frequently than the rest, about 9 times

in a month. The deaf and mobility-impaired attend only about twice a month.

The survey may have captured a substantial segment of the blind who are active members

because they tend to work together as a group, mainly in massage parlours. For their

employment, their trainings were mostly provided for them being members of certain

organizations.

More people would tend to visit places that are near them. Among the urban folks who visit

the market at least once a month, about 8 in 10 reported that the market place is within a

kilometre away from their homes. It is clear that the rural PWDs experience difficulty in their

range of movement because the public places are far. For instance, those who make at least a

round in the market reported that they have to travel an average of 6 kilometers. About 9 in

10 of them say the market place they go to is within 10 kilometers of their homes. Moreover,

the nearer the place, the more frequent the visits are. The PWDs who make 10 or more visits

to the market place reported that they need to travel only about 700 meters on the average.

Those who travel less frequently, travels 1,300 meters on the average.

As expected, users of wheelchair make the least number of visits in the public places

mentioned. In fact, a mobility-impaired person who is not using a wheelchair would be twice

to three times more mobile than one who is a wheelchair user. This indicates the difficulty

they experience in moving from one place to another.

In the urban survey, personal assistance matters not so in the frequency of movement but

more on the distance travelled by the PWDs. PWDs who visit the market or church more

9
often do not have personal assistants (PA). Those with PA travel less frequently which may

be an indication of their special circumstances and capacity. Interestingly, with a PA, the

PWD travel farther distances going to the market, about 1 and a half kilometres on the

average, than those without a PA (only around a kilometre).

In rural survey however, those with PA barely go to either the market or church. Majority of

these either have multiple impairments or are aged 60 and above. The rest are either using a

wheelchair and/or experiencing paralysis in the lower limbs. Their situation is aggravated by

their economic condition since majority of them are income poor.

The above discussions clearly point the limits in range of movements of PWDs. Except that

for the special case of masseurs who are blind who tend to move, and work even, as a group

and therefore have more opportunities for social interaction, the findings show that it is

expected to see not many PWDs participating in initiatives like the discount privileges

because of certain limitations innate to their impairments and the different barriers they face

every day. These barriers shall be the subject of the discussion under determinants and

barriers of participation progresses.

Eligibility in discount privileges: the PWD ID

The extent of issuance of the PWD ID, whether through the initiative of the local government

or that by then NCWDP, now NCDA, was found to be very low particularly among those in

the rural areas. Barely 10 percent of the rural respondents possess the ID. In the urban areas,

there were relatively more respondents, at 48 percent, who had been provided with an ID.

Among the PWDs in the urban survey, the deaf have the highest proportion of those with

PWD ID, with 61 percent. About half of both blind and mobility-impaired ones do have the

ID. Those with multiple impairments have the lowest proportion with only 13 percent.

Majority of the ID holders are from Makati City which indicates the effectiveness of this city

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in PWD-related initiatives. In fact, 9 out of 10 respondents in this city reported that they have

a PWD ID—mostly locally provided by the city government. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of

those in the rural survey had an ID, most of these are deaf people.

The common reasons as to why they still do not have the ID are that either they have yet to

apply or they have already applied but these are still under process. Many of those in the rural

areas, in particular, reported that no one comes to provide them the ID and that they are not

aware of an existence of an ID. In 2008, when the survey was conducted in the urban areas, it

is reasonable to see a low likelihood of seeing ID among the PWDs, since the amendment of

the Magna Carta was enacted only in 2007 and this policy has stipulated the provision of ID

in connection with the discount privileges it mandates. However, for the 2010 survey, it is

unfortunate to see high proportion of respondents who still did not have the ID. The fact that

many of them still have no knowledge about the ID indicates poor implementation of the

policy in the area.

Factors affecting awareness: results from regression analysis

To assess the determinants of awareness and eligibility, an econometric model using the same

survey datasets has been analyzed by Tabuga (2013). The analysis proceeds by estimating the

joint likelihood to be aware and be eligible (that is, possession of the ID which is a

requirement to avail in discount privileges). This is done because the data does not tell us

which of these two comes first and because the same factors might be determining both

awareness and eligibility. The regression technique used what we call a Bivariate Probit

because of the joint estimation of likelihood. The estimation process takes into account age,

educational attainment, sex, household income, type of impairment, social ability

(represented by membership in any organization), and location variables, which are indicative

of the quality of governance and level of economic development. By doing this, we can better

11
identify factors that tend to impede or influence PWD’s awareness and eligibility. The results

are discussed intuitively for simplicity purposes.

The results of the regression indeed show that variables that affect awareness have an

influence on eligibility, hence proving the validity of the technique used. Based on the survey

data, age, educational attainment, and income significantly influence awareness. Possession

of identification is also influenced by age, educational attainment, and type of impairment.

The estimations however show that sex does not matter in both awareness and eligibility.

Some of the locality dummies which represent the quality of governance and economic

development in general are also determinants of the likelihood or probability of being aware

and eligible. Meanwhile, being a member in an organization positively influences both.

The effect of age as one gets older in the likelihood of being aware and eligible increases but

later declines when the PWD becomes very old. This is understandable especially for

obtaining the ID because the elderly, being senior citizens, already have the entitlement to

receive discounts by way of their being senior citizens. Therefore, there is not much incentive

to obtain the PWD ID when they already have the ID as senior citizens. There is however a

policy implication of such result. Ageing disabled persons are doubly vulnerable and if

programs and other initiatives fail to include them, their dire situation could worsen.

Education is a significant determinant of both awareness and eligibility holding other things

constant. Being able to obtain higher level of education signals the person’s ability and

perseverance to assert himself/herself in matters that improve one’s welfare.

The welfare status of the PWD’s family also makes a difference in awareness but not in

getting issued an ID, even after controlling for the educational attainment. This means that for

two PWDs with the same educational background but where one is more affluent than the

other, the more affluent one has a higher likelihood to become aware. Hence, if PWDs in

12
poor households are less likely to get informed, the cycle of poverty leading to disability

would persist. Efforts therefore to target poor households with PWD members in government

programs and other initiatives is highly commendable for them to get out of the poverty trap.

Meanwhile, the mobility impaired person’s probability to be aware about the policies do not

differ significantly from the rest of the PWDs. However, mobility-impaired persons are less

likely to be issued an ID as PWD. This attests to the high importance of implementing and

enforcing the Accessibility Law in the country not only for the benefit of persons with

mobility impairment but for all users of wheelchair, strollers, and the like such as elderly and

infants. In the rural areas, expediting improvement of the rural physical infrastructure is not

only beneficial to all the constituents in general but doubly beneficial for PWDs.

PWDs living in Makati and Valenzuela have significantly higher probability of being aware

than those in the rural areas (i.e. Rosario, Batangas). In particular, a PWD in Makati would be

around 60 percent more likely to be aware compared to one who is in Batangas. Makati,

considered the business capital in the country, is known for its programs for the

disadvantaged groups like the elderly and persons with disability. In terms of eligibility, those

in Makati and Valenzuela also have higher chances than those in Rosario. Meanwhile, those

in Quezon City and Pasay do not have a likelihood that is significantly different from those in

Rosario for both awareness and possession of ID. Makati, Valenzuela, Quezon City, and

Pasay, are all cities belonging to the National Capital Region.

Membership in an organization be it a self-help, religious, and other types of organization,

represents the extent of social networks that a PWD has. It is shown to be positively and

significantly associated to the likelihood to be aware and eligible. In fact, a member is about

40 percent more likely to be aware given eligibility than a non-member, with other things

held constant.

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Other factors affecting awareness

Other factors that contribute to awareness are access to information and ability of the family

to gather relevant information for the PWD’s well-being. One of the findings of the field

survey is that the PWDs’ families have relatively high access to information via forms of

media like the television, radio, and telephone or mobile phone. Access is narrowly defined

in here as having the said devices within the household even if the said devices are in fact not

personally owned or being used by the respondent-PWDs. Again, there are more PWDs in the

urban areas who have access to the television than any other device. In 2008, 8 out of every

10 respondents reported that they have television sets in their homes. Seventy percent of them

have access to either telephone or mobile phone, while half have access to the radio. Only 15

percent have computer units within their homes.

Table 2. PWD's access to information by type of media, by

area and type of impairment

Type of media
Type of impairment TV Radio Phone Computer
Urban (2008, n=406)
Mobility 86.8 51.2 70.2 18.2
Visual 69.7 53.5 71.8 12
Hearing 89.6 44.3 74.5 18.9
Multiple 88.2 38.2 50 8.8
Total 81.6 49.1 70.2 15.4
Rural (2010, n=106)
Mobility 90.3 25.8 74.2 3.2
Visual 80 36 84 4
Hearing 87.5 46.9 81.3 9.4
Multiple 72.2 44.4 55.6 11.1
Total 84 37.7 75.5 6.6
Source of basic data: PWD Survey 2008 and 2010

The situation in the rural areas is better in some aspects because it was conducted a little later

than the one in the urban areas. Again, the device most commonly owned by the PWD

households is television with 84 percent of them having this device in their homes. Also, 76

14
percent have access to either the telephone or mobile phone. Meanwhile, about 38 percent

have access to the radio while only 7 percent have computers in their households.

Given these pieces of information, one can only pose a question as to why many PWDs

remain unaware and seem to be “detached” from the world despite the advancement in

technology and pace of economic progress. Apparently, more concrete efforts are needed.

Beyond mere policy-making, implementing and enforcing the policies are critical.

Likewise, because accessibility is a major barrier, support services must be provided to

ensure that persons with disability can fully participate in the society. These support services

include personal assistance, sign language interpreters, support to decision-making,

availability of affordable assistive devices, and rehabilitation services among others. Efforts

have to take into account the potential usefulness of the current technological make-up in

bringing the PWDs into mainstream society, in disseminating information and current

developments, so that PWDs become empowered and engage in activities that help them

assert their rights.

Meanwhile, the role of local volunteers is critical in disseminating information to

marginalized groups such as the PWDs. Aside from the devices mentioned where information

may be easily obtained not only by the PWDs but also their family members—who are

expected to pass relevant information to their PWD member, the other sources of information

available in the locality are the local volunteers—the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) and

Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS). In the survey, the most popular source of information on

the programs and initiatives of the government is the pool of village volunteers—BHW and

BNS. The use of these volunteers has been so far effective in terms of information

dissemination.

Meanwhile, the ability of PWD families, particularly the parents, to obtain information and

later on pass to the member with disability may be constrained by their lack of education

15
themselves. Only 1 out of 10 mothers in the urban areas were able to reach college while

about 2 in every 10 fathers have had at least some tertiary education. In the rural areas, there

are only around 5 in every 100 parents who had reached college. The average number of

years of schooling of the PWDs’ mothers in the rural areas is only 4.7 while that in the urban

areas is 7.4. Meanwhile, the average schooling years of PWDs’ fathers in the rural areas is 5

compared to 8.3 years in the urban setting.

The proportion of aware respondents in the urban areas is shown to be positively associated

with the educational achievement of the mother, for those in the urban areas, and education of

both parents for those in the rural areas. For instance, 73 percent of the urban respondents

whose mother has reached college have reported knowledge about the policies while only 46

percent of those whose mother did not complete any grade have reported awareness. In the

rural areas, only very few respondents have educated parents. It can be seen that those whose

parents have reached high school (50 to 59%) have higher rate of awareness than those whose

parents did not complete any grade (31 to 33%).

Table 3. Awareness rate of PWD respondents by educational attainment of family members

and area
Urban (2008), Obs=403 Rural (2010), Obs=106
Aware (% to Aware (% to
Subgroup Obs, % total) Obs, % total)
All 100 67.5 100 29.2
Education of the father
No grade completed 3.2 76.9 12.3 30.8
Elementary graduate, at the
most 30.3 68.9 57.5 24.6
Reached high school, at most 29 66.7 16 58.8
Vocation/post-secondary 4 87.5 0.9 100
Reached at least college 18.1 68.5 4.7 20
Unknown 15.4 58.1 8.5 0
Education of the mother
No grade completed 6 45.8 17 33.3
Elementary graduate, at the
most 35 75.2 62.3 27.3
Reached high school, at most 31.8 65.6 9.4 50

16
 Vocation/post-secondary 3.5 71.4 0 0
Reached at least college 12.9 73.1 5.7 33.3
Unknown 10.9 52.3 5.7 0
Source of basic data: PWD Survey 2008 and 2010

The low educational attainment of parents does not only impact the PWDs’ awareness and

participation in programs but other equally important aspects as well like education and

consequently employment. These findings stress the fact that PWDs are indeed very

vulnerable to cyclical poverty. Poverty and low educational attainment of parents lead to

limited capacity which in turn causes the inability of PWDs to obtain education for them to

become productive citizens and they remain as poor, if not turn poorer.

Barriers of participation

Aside from lack of awareness and eligibility requirement, the study found several factors that

impede PWDs to participate not only in mandated discount privileges and other programs but

in societal affairs in general. These factors may be cross-cutting issues that include economic

or financial issues, physical environment, and social perceptions. These form a system of

interplaying barriers that PWDs face in their everyday life.

Economic issues

One of the main findings in the survey with respect to participation is that despite awareness

and being eligible, many PWDs still do not participate in the discount privileges stipulated by

law because they are not able to go out and their personal circumstances play a key role in

this aspect. First, majority of the respondents do not engage in income-generating activities.

These PWDs therefore, rely on their families for their daily needs. To illustrate, employed

PWDs make rounds to the market twice the number of times the unemployed do. There is

higher proportion of members in organization among employed (52%) than the unemployed

(31%). Moreover, half of the PWD families interviewed are income poor. These are less

likely to go out to attend organizational affairs, or in church and market. For instance, the

17
non-poor PWDs attend to their organizations about twice, on the average, as often as the poor

do. It would then be unsurprising to know that the PWDs rarely go to restaurants or movie

houses and therefore, they are unable to avail the discounts given their financial constraints. It

would be too costly for poor households to exert extra effort to accompany their members to

schools, let alone specialized ones or in training centres which are usually located in urban

centres when they are barely getting by in terms of their basic needs. Hence, the PWDs may

suffer double or triple poverty condition than the other members of the household who are

able persons.

Second, because many PWDs are poor, they do not have access to huge shopping centres and

groceries. Their families typically buy their needs from informal markets and “talipapa”

which do not provide discounts due to various reasons.

Poor families are typically those who are pushed to the periphery (i.e. remote and

inaccessible areas), because the poor has very limited resources. Such is the case of blind

siblings, John and Rick (not their real names), who live in a small hut at the middle of a rice

field because that is what their family can afford. Because there is no road that leads to their

house, they have no choice but to remain inside the house all the time. Their mother could not

take them to places because she is tending to the needs of their large household. It is one

example where an impoverished situation perpetuates the exclusion of the PWD from the

outside world and this in turn limits their exposure to information and possible sources of

knowledge and livelihood.

Third, to go to their desired destinations, many of the PWDs would need personal assistants

(PA) particularly the blind and mobility-impaired persons. A person in a wheel chair or in

crutches would have considerable difficulty in riding a jeepney or a tricycle unless there’s a

companion. The PAs, however, are mainly unpaid family members who are usually occupied

18
with other chores within the household. Among the PWDs in the urban survey who reported

that they need assistance, or 23 percent of the sample, eighty (80) percent relies on unpaid

family members. Only 13 percent can afford to pay others to assist them. The rest rely on

unpaid non-family members. In the rural areas, all (100%) of the PWDs requiring assistance,

which is about 21 percent of the total sample, solely rely on unpaid family members. Among

the disabled people, there were relatively more blind persons and those with multiple

impairments who rely on their personal assistants for their daily living activities.

The survey likewise found that PWDs and their families could not always afford to go out

because of high transportation cost particularly in the rural areas. For instance, the tricycle

fare is about 2 to 3 times higher in remote areas than within the town proper. The tricycle is

the mode of transport commonly available in the rugged, narrow paths in rural areas. This

doubly burdens the PWDs from poor families. Therefore they typically remain at home

unless it is extremely necessary for them to go out.

In the urban areas, the convenient mode of transport more so for the mobility-impaired are

taxi cabs but they could hardly afford the high cost of riding cabs. Besides, the land transport

fare discount applies only to buses and trains. But buses normally run only on major roads

and highways while trains are limited only in selected parts of Metro Manila. Buses also are

not yet accessible particularly for the wheelchair users.

The law doesn’t impose discount on fare in taxi and tricycles. None of the respondents in the

rural areas have reported that bus is their usual mode of transport. About half of them use the

tricycle while less than a third uses the jeepney.

Physical environment

The physical environment plays a key role in motivating the PWDs to participate in the

community and in the society in general. The PWDs’ and their families’ perception of safety

19
for their PWD members relies heavily on the condition of the surrounding built and natural

environment. In the rural localities, the common problem of PWDs is the difficulty of going

through narrow, inaccessible paths that are muddy and slippery during rainy season. There

are no roads in remote areas, only foot trails. One can only imagine the struggle a PWD has

to go through before he/she can go out to town.

Let us take for example the case of blind siblings—John and Rick who live in a hut located in

a rice field. The only way to go to their house is through narrow foot paths in between rice

plots. The plots would be muddy most of the time. Even if the PWD would be able to muster

his guts and walk through the trails with some help, it would take him a long time before he

can actually cross the plots to go to his desired destination.

In the urban setting, the difficulty faced by PWDs relates that to the characteristics of

informal settlements. In these areas, there are very narrow paths as well in between shanties,

where only the seeing persons and those without mobility disability can go through without

much difficulty. In some cases, the paths are made of improvised foot bridges made of wood

with no side railings or other safety guards, which are dangerous not only to the blind and

mobility-impaired but also to small children and elderly persons. In addition, some PWDs are

hesitant to go out because of other safety concerns within the slum community.

Social norms and perception

There are PWDs who are less motivated to go out of their comfort zone because their families

are protective of them. Being protective is a manifestation of the Filipino culture of close

family ties. In this culture of family-centeredness, it is the duty of every member without

disability to take care of their family member with disability (De Torres, 2002). De Torres

(2002) likewise cites Arcadio (1997) who reported that a family with a young member that

has a disability even modifies its lifestyle and prioritizes the needs of that member.

20
Aida (not her real name) is a teen-ager who lost her sight because of an infection that

occurred when she was born. Ever since she was little, she has her family to support her and

care for her needs. She says she’s fine with her life because her family takes care of her. Her

daily life revolves around going about the house and within the immediate neighbourhood.

She has not experienced going to the city ever since. However, if given a chance she would

aspire to enter school but the school is too far away and she cannot leave home for it. When

the survey team asked her mother what she feels about her daughter not being able to explore

things especially that she is now becoming an adult, she said that their resources are limited

and hence, they could not send her to school since that it is very far from home. She would

worry about her daughter being far from home. The family, she related, is doing its best to

protect and care for her needs.

Blind siblings John, 24, and Rick, 21, are both very enthusiastic to learn. One of them even

ran away from home once to go to a special school for the blind in the city. Her mother

however expressed reservation when the survey team asked her on how far the family is

willing to support the siblings in their aspirations. She mentioned that she’d prefer them to be

home because of their “condition.”

The over-protectiveness of the family tends to encourage dependency (De Torres (2002)

citing Camara (1985, p.30)). In particular, Camara (1985) noted that too much caring shown

by the families of member with disability, particularly children with disability, is seen to

foster dependency and hence obstructing the rehabilitation process. This is likely especially if

services are extended even for tasks that the PWD can do on his/her own. Aida, John and

Rick however refuse to be totally dependent. Though they are blind, they can do many chores

in the house, and they can do personal care activities on their own. But their social circle is

limited to their own families, close relatives, and neighbours living within their immediate

neighbourhood.

21
Some PWDs lack the opportunity to participate in the community because of society’s lack of

understanding and awareness of the disability itself. Arvin, a deaf person, is misunderstood

by some people as a person with mental disability, his neighbour relates. Because Arvin

cannot fully hear what people say, he often comes out with a different answer to their

questions. People attribute this as one that has mental disability.

Language

Many deaf persons, particularly those in the rural areas, lack the opportunity to participate in

the community because of language barrier. While some (4 out of 10) of the rural PWDs are

capable of written English or Filipino language, only very few, 1 out of every 10, have

learned sign language, which is mainly Philippine sign language. The main reasons as to why

they were not able to acquire sign language ability are because there is no deaf school nearby,

or they are not aware where a deaf school is located; and lack of money for transportation

going to the nearest deaf school.

Only 1 out of the 37 deaf persons interviewed in the rural survey has at least one household

hearing member who knows sign language. Hence, they communicate with their family

members and other people using only gestures. This may also be a reason why deaf persons

work mostly in manual labor (e.g. agriculture in the rural areas) where there is not much use

of spoken language.

Meanwhile, only 2 out of 10 deaf persons in the urban survey are capable of written language

(English or Filipino). A very small number (4%) can still communicate through spoken

language. They are however better off than their rural counterparts in terms of sign language

ability. Three out of 4 respondents from Manila survey are able to sign mostly in Filipino

sign language. Among those with sign language ability, majority (55%) are young, aged 30

and below.

22
PWDs from the urban survey likewise have better chances for communication. Six out of 10

reported that they have at least one hearing family member living within the household who

knows the sign language they are using. Most of these are either the mother or the sibling of

the deaf. Only very few fathers can communicate with the deaf member through sign

language. Meanwhile, 4 out of 10 deaf persons in the Metro Manila survey reported that they

have experienced using the services of a sign language interpreter mainly in religious venues.

The abovementioned factors form a complex set of barriers that PWDs face in their everyday

life. These constrain them from things that range from one that is as basic as making a simple

conversation to participating in religious and economic affairs. Most PWDs are suffering

from income poverty, isolation, and exclusion. While there are existing policies that were

developed to advance their welfare, the implementation and enforcement of policies remain

weak. Furthermore, concerted efforts towards local development are very necessary to help

PWDs be able to help themselves.

Helping the PWDs help themselves

A basic requirement for availing the discount privileges by PWDs is the PWD ID.

Developments have since been observed in this aspect. The National Council on Disability

Affairs (NCDA) put the estimate of PWD already been issued the national ID as of February

2012 at 113,000 nationwide or roughly about 12 percent of the 942,000 estimated PWDs in

the country based on the 2000 Census.

In the target areas of the two rounds of survey conducted, recent developments have been

noted in terms of distribution of IDs based on administrative records of the local

governments. In Valenzuela, all 2,634 PWDs (100%) registered with the City Social Welfare

Office already have ID cards as proof of their being PWD as of the time this paper is being

written. This is likewise the case in Quezon City’s 8,150 registered PWDs. Pasay likewise

23
claims based on their administrative data that they have already covered all the 1,118

registered PWDs in the city. Makati however, has a different case. Because Makati has issued

mostly a local version of the PWD ID to its PWD citizens, which is different from the

national ID that the government is mandated to issue with respect to stipulations of the RA

9442, not all PWDs or their representatives have yet returned to the City to secure their new

national ID probably because they still find the old one useful. As of March 2012, 77 percent

of the 3,597 registered PWDs in Makati already possess the national ID. On the other hand,

the local ID, which is provided only to registered voters of the city of Makati, provides

privileges to PWDs in various establishments within the city including free admission to

cinema and free local transportation among others.

Meanwhile, in Rosario, Batangas where the survey was conducted in November 2010, 60

percent of all PWDs registered to the local government have already been issued an ID as of

November 2011 based on administrative data. Back in 2010, the survey showed that only 9

percent of the PWDs possess ID.

Fast tracking the issuance of IDs is a very important initial step. But this should be carried out

hand in hand with an extensive information campaign. As shown earlier, there is little

knowledge by the PWDs on the policies that are meant to advance their well-being. The role

of the community volunteers and leaders, due to their proximity to the PWDs, is critical

because they serve as channels from whom PWDs get useful information from the outside

world particularly for PWDs in poor households. Future research should look into how the

newly-formed PDAO (Persons with Disability Affairs Office) in the local governments will

make an impact to the life of PWDs. Improving the capacity of these volunteers and

enhancing the incentive system for them are highly commended.

24
Furthermore, the volunteers together with the strong support of the local leaders are a key to

helping the PWDs organize themselves not only for socialization purposes but also for

educational and other matters they deem important. Self-organization is shown to be linked

positively with awareness and is an important step towards empowerment because then

PWDs would have more solidarity and voice in expressing their ideas and thoughts on not

only matters that concern them but the community in general.

Because of the constraints PWDs face, they normally expect local volunteers and leaders and

other stakeholders wishing to extend knowledge, information, and other forms of assistance

to take the initial step, to be the one to come to them literally. In the survey, many of them

responded that no one goes to them when asked why they do not know about disability laws

or related programs of the government. This reflects their circumstances of not being able to

go out or not having the chance to go out because of varying factors as pointed out in this

book.

Meanwhile, improving the implementation and enforcement of disability laws entails a

serious effort to educate the public. In terms of enforcement for instance, making the rules

known to all parties concerned particularly the establishments/facilities that ought to provide

discount privileges as well as prospective employers of PWDs seeking employment is very

essential.

Improvement in local infrastructure, hard and soft, means fostering an enabling environment

for the improvement of the PWD’s and other marginalized groups’ welfare. For instance,

instituting an effective mechanism for PWDs to communicate with leaders through their own

organization helps them in conveying their needs and other matters they wish to convey to

the community. Moreover, because the physical environment where many PWDs reside is too

limiting, enforcing the accessibility law, improving the condition of roads and boosting safety

25
within the community would significantly improve the PWDs’ and their families’ well-being,

and that of the community’s entire population. Improving local infrastructure such as roads is

not only helpful to unburden PWDs in their effort to participate in the society’s social and

economic affairs but is something crucial to improve the well-being of the community in

general. Llanto (2011, p.7) noted that compared to national roads which have a pavement rate

of 69 percent, only 14 percent of local roads are paved. His study was conducted in the

context of improving the investment climate in the localities. For people who are physically

constrained to get to their destination like PWDs, elderly, and the sick, having a good quality

of road doubly matters.

Ultimately, the PWDs motivation to come out and be part of the community is strongly

affected by their economic condition. The truth is—many PWDs, both in rural and urban

settings, suffer from abject poverty that is why they have very limited opportunities to

partake in social and economic affairs. Many live in informal settlements where movement is

literally difficult. Most are unemployed and physically isolated because of being pushed into

the periphery. The government should look into the possibility of targeting poor families with

PWD member(s) in its poverty reduction and human resettlement programs.

Concluding remarks

The Philippines has laid down the groundwork for improving the welfare of persons with

disability. It has the needed comprehensive legal framework and is making progress in

forming institutional structure at the local level. However, in terms of implementation and

enforcement, the fruits of these initiatives are still far from being truly felt by many PWDs.

For instance, they rarely avail of discount privileges simply because they rarely go out and

mingle with other people. They experience much difficulty in going to places as basic as the

market. Most are poor, unemployed, and isolated. While there are policies that promote their

right for economic independence, they are lowly capacitated and untrained. Unlike those

26
without disability who can still function amidst poor physical infrastructure, they are left

helpless. There is a multitude of interplaying factors that constrain them from participating.

Therefore, the advancement of their wellbeing requires no less than the concerted efforts of

all—their families, the immediate communities, the local and national government, and the

general public.

References

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Alma, M., S. Van Der Mei, B. Melis-Dankers, T. Van Tilburg, J. Groothoff, and T.

Suurmeijer. 2011. Participation of the elderly after vision loss. Disability and

Rehabilitation 33(1): 63–72

Arcadio, R. (1997). The role of the Filipino family in the care of sick children. Lecture to the

Ninth Asian Congress of Pediatrics. March 23–27, 1997.

Camara, E. F. (1985). Rehabilitation policy in the Philippines: An analysis of major

institutions for the disabled. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store

De Torres, S. (2002). Understanding persons of Philippine origin: A primer for rehabilitation

service providers. Buffalo, NY: Center for International Rehabilitation Research

Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) (online)

http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/culture/monographs/philippines/ Retrieved March 26, 2012.

Disability at a Glance 2010: a Profile of 36 Countries and Areas in Asia and the Pacific.

United Nations ESCAP. Available online at

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 http://www.unescap.org/sdd/publications/disability/disability-at-a-glance-2010.pdf.

Retrieved June 25, 2012.

Lamoureux, E.L., J.B. Hassell, and J.E. Keeffe. 2004. The determinants of participation in

activities of daily living in people with impaired vision. American Journal of

Ophthalmology (137, 2):265–270.

Llanto, G. M. 2001. Investing in Local Roads for Economic Growth. Philippine Institute for

Development Studies Discussion Paper Series No. 2011–38.

Mori, S., C. Reyes, and T. Yamagata, eds. (2009) Poverty reduction for the disabled in the

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http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Download/Jrp/151.html. Accessed 02 June 2010.

Reyes, C., A. Tabuga, C. Mina, R. Asis, and M. Datu. (2011) Persons with Disability

(PWDs) in Rural Philippines: Results from the 2010 Field Survey in Rosario, Batangas.

PIDS Discussion Paper No. 2011–06 (online)

http://dirp4.pids.gov.ph/ris/dps/pidsdps1106_rev.pdf Retrieved March 26, 2012.

Rimmer, J., B. Riley, E. Wang, A. Rauworth, and J. Jurkowski (2004). Physical activity

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Yap, J., C. Reyes, J.R. Albert and A. Tabuga (2009) “Preliminary Results of the Survey on

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) Conducted in Selected Metro Manila Cities,” Soya

Mori; Celia Reyes; and Tatsufumi Yamagata, eds., Poverty Reduction for the Disabled

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pp. 17‐143.

1
ESCAP in its publication titled Disability at a Glance (2010) indicates that India and Philippines are

at par with developed economies—Japan and Republic of Korea in the Asia-Pacific region which are

considered to have a comprehensive legislative and policy framework for disability. All four countries

have: 1) comprehensive disability law; 2) disability-specific anti-discrimination law; and 3) national

plan of action (Summary Table, p.19).

2
Source: lowvisiononline.unimelb.edu.au

http://www.lowvisiononline.unimelb.edu.au/Screening/acuity.htm

29