PWDs call on Noy to make roads accessible to them

MANILA, Philippines - Organizations of persons with disabilities (PWDs) urged yesterday the Aquino government to make all public roads and buildings accessible to PWDs.

The groups have also pushed for the amendment of Batas Pambansa 344 or the Accessibility Law, which was enacted on Feb. 25, 1983 as the country observes “National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.”

Richard Arceo, national coordinator of the Leonard Cheshire Disability Philippine Foundation, said persons with disabilities face a higher risk of being involved in road accidents.

“The risk of road accidents is double among persons with disabilities... the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) has made Commonwealth Avenue accessible to PWDs, I hope MMDA will do it in all roads,” Arceo told a regular media forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

Public Works Assistant Secretary Maria Catalina Cabral said the agency wants to enforce barrier-free environment for people with disabilities.

“We are making the roads accessible to persons with disabilities. We are just identifying the areas where we can put up wheelchair ramps,” Cabral said at the same forum.

“We are having an audit of all major roads including EDSA, Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, R10, C3 and C5. We will identify the right areas for the facility,” she said.

Meanwhile, Manuel Agcaoili, president of NOVA Foundation Inc., an organization of differently abled persons, pushed for the amendment of the Accessibility Act.                                                           – Helen Flores

“There is a need to amend this (Accessibility) law because of the latest technological developments. We need to provide them access to the Internet so they can access government websites to avail of various services,” he said.

There were an estimated 942,000 persons with disabilities in the Philippines as of 2005. 

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim has reported that various resorts and other tourism establishments are now undertaking efforts to eliminate the barriers to travel for PWDs.

“The trend is not to have separate services for PWDs, but for full integration in our hospitality industry. This entails making our products suitable to persons with particular needs so that they may enjoy travel equally with everyone else,” he said.

Lim noted that the Department of Tourism (DOT) recently issued a Memorandum Circular operationalizing the 20 percent discount guarantee for PWDs that include mark-downs in the use of accommodation establishments, admission to leisure and amusement centers, medical and dental services, and transportation fare.

Adela Avila-Kono, accessibility specialist of the Regional Council for Disability Affairs in Cebu City, said “barrier-free tourism” is a concern shared by PWDs, senior citizens and retirees, and mothers and children.

She said PWDs are a growing group of travel consumers, numbering as many as 10 percent of the world’s population.

She said among the main constraints for travelers with disabilities are using transportation, accommodation facilities and inaccessibility at tourism sites.

She recommended the use of appropriate signage, design specifications for various structures and presence of additional PWD-friendly facilities and services like ramps, handrails, non-skid flooring, and audio and visual public announcements.

Lim said the DOT is already looking at providing tourism-related establishments with incentives for PWD-related renovation through the Tourism and Investment Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).