Press Release
December 27, 2008

GRANT ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES TO DISABLED PERSONS - ANGARA

Senator Edgardo J. Angara today seeks to grant additional privileges and incentives to help empower persons with disabilities (PWDs).

"It is in this setting that I would like to emphasize the State's role of *parens patriae *brought by the limitations experienced by PWDs and its required response by maximizing the opportunities and other social services available to them in all aspects of life in the community," said Senator Angara.

"Without question, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons was a landmark piece of legislation that was passed in 1992 for it provided for the rehabilitation, development and provision of opportunities towards self-reliance of PWDs. However, the challenge for the government does not stop with the provisions set forth in the Magna Carta alone," he added.

In the 2000 Census of Population and Housing special report released this year, it highlighted that PWDs comprise 1.23% of the country's total population numbering 942,098, a 2.48% increase compared with the results of the 1995 Census of 919,292 persons (by contrast, World Health Organization estimates for developing countries is one out of every ten people has a disability).

To address the needs of the continuously increasing numbers of PWDs in the country, Senator Angara proposes to amend the existing Magna Carta for Disabled Persons to include 20% discount on hotels and similar lodging establishments, admission fees on amusement places, medicines, domestic air and sea travel, as well as fares for public transportation.

The bill also allows disabled persons to be exempted from payment of individual income tax provided their annual taxable income does not exceed poverty level.

"This piece of legislation will help empower PWDs to meet their basic needs of health, income security, decent housing, among others; while making it a strong advocacy for private individuals, NGOs and private enterprises to include disability issues in their policies and providing incentives thereto," said Senator Angara.

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