In the name of the disabled

Senator Loren Legarda and Rep. Gina de Venecia have filed bills to help children with disabilities and special needs.

Senator Legarda’s bill seeks to provide free and suitable public education for children with disabilities to promote their integration to society and provide them opportunities afforded to other Filipinos.

“As many as nine million of Filipinos suffer from disability, and we lack the government support even for the most basic of rights as free education for handicapped children,” Legarda lamented.

The World Health Organization estimates about 10 percent of Filipinos are living with some form of disability, among them autism, blindness, deafness, muteness, and physical or orthopedic impairments.

“Disability also disproportionately afflicts the poor due to various environmental factors that they are exposed to, and that is why we need the government to step in and provide support for this highly disadvantaged and vulnerable group who cannot afford specialized education.”

SB 1427 seeks to establish a Special Educational Center in provinces, cities, and municipalities to provide free and suitable pre-elementary and elementary education for children with disabilities.

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In the House of Representatives, Manay Gina de Venecia is championing another cause — the rights of special children. Among the 71 House bills she has authored and co-sponsored within a year as Representative of Pangasinan’s 4th District is House Bill 4447 or the Empowerment of Children with Special Needs Act to ensure that all special children will have the capability to live a productive life. There are about 8.3 million disabled persons in the country.

The bill calls for the establishment of Centers for Children with Special Needs in all provinces. These are assisted-living communities for children below 14 who suffer from autism and other mental and sensor impairment, she said.

“The centers will have therapists, teachers and social workers who can provide comprehensive developmental programs and services responsive to the needs of persons with disability to help them attain their highest possible level of functionality and facilitate their effective integration to a productive family and community life,” says Manay Gina.

De Venecia laments the lack of an aggressive government program to address the needs of other disability groups, especially those who suffer from autism, ADHD and Down syndrome and other mental and behavioral impairment. The DSWD operates area vocational and rehabilitation centers focusing on blind, deaf, and physically handicapped adults. –Domini M. Torrevillas (The Philippine Star)