Mandaue requires buildings to have standby wheelchairs

CEBU, Philippines —  Having a stand-by wheelchair in every public building will now be among the requirements in the City of Mandaue.

The City Council has recently passed a resolution urging the Office of the Building Official (OBO), through the Office of the City Mayor, to require every public building in the city, including the City Hall and its subsidiary government buildings, to maintain a stand-by wheelchair.

The idea surfaced during the celebration of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week in Mandaue City last July 15, an activity attended by persons with disabilities (PWDs) from all over the city.

Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, who sponsored the resolution, cited the many countries such as USA and UK, where the owners of inaccessible buildings are advised to keep a lightweight portable wheelchair or a scooter access ramp on hand to make the premises disabled-friendly.

He said wheelchairs are often used by people for whom walking is relatively difficult or impossible due to illness, injury or disability.

Lumapas said there are public buildings in the City of Mandaue, which are non-conformant to the disability standards of accessibility, and maintaining a standby wheelchair in the premises would somehow address the need.

“It is high time for the City of Mandaue to promote key campaign of disability rights and move to adopt the built environment more accessible to these persons with disabilities (PWDs),” said Lumapas.

Mandaue City has more than 3,000 PWDs registered by the Office of the Differently-Abled Persons Affairs (ODAPA).  — GAN (FREEMAN)