PWD, seniors’ parking slots open to e-tricycles – DSWD

MANILA, Philippines — Regardless of the vehicles they are using, business establishments should ensure that persons with disabilities (PWD) and senior citizens have access to priority parking spaces, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said yesterday.

DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao issued the call after a netizen expressed her frustration when security guards of two establishments at a mall in Sta. Rosa, Laguna prevented her from parking her e-tricycle in the priority parking slots, despite being in the company of her child and sister who are both PWDs.

“While the DSWD acknowledges that most business establishments already have reserved parking spaces for priority groups, including persons with disabilities, we want to reiterate that the priority should not be based on the model or type of vehicle, but on the needs and rights of the persons aboard the vehicle,” Dumlao said in a statement.

The incident in Sta. Rosa was described by the Subcommittee on Accessibility on Built Environment and Transportation of the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) as “insensitive and discriminatory to persons with disabilities and constitutes a violation of Batas Pambansa (BP) 344 and Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities.”

“Under BP 344, accessible parking spaces are mandated to be inclusive, ensuring safe and convenient access for individuals with mobility limitations, whether due to physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments. BP 344 does not specify any distinction on the type of vehicle allowed to use the allocated PWD parking slots, therefore, e-tricycle is not prohibited from parking in these areas,” the NCDA said in a statement.

Dumlao said the DSWD, as the mother agency of NCDA, backs the council’s call for local government units to issue local ordinances in support of the implementation of BP 344.