NCDA OKs guidelines on discounts for persons with disabilities

MANILA, Philippines - Persons with disabilities can now avail of the 20 percent discount on all basic services like transportation, medical services and educational services after the issuance of guidelines for the implementation of amendments to the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons. National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) chairperson Rosie Lovely T. Romulo said the agency has already issued the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9442, and are now finalizing the distribution of the identification cards for persons with disabilities. Romulo said these identification cards are being handed over to local government units, which are tasked to issue these cards to their constituents with disabilities. The NCDA, formerly known as National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP), formulated the IRR after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law RA 9442 in April 30, 2007. RA 9442 is an act amending Republic Act No. 7277 otherwise known as the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and Other Purposes," grants additional privileges and incentives and prohibitions on verbal, non-verbal and vilification against persons with disability. Under the law, persons with disability are entitled to 20 percent discount from all establishments like hotels and restaurants; admission fees on theaters, cinema houses, carnivals and other similar places of culture. The law also grants 20 percent discount for the purchase of medicines in all drugstores, medical and dental services, transportation fare for domestic air and sea travel, public utility vehicles and educational assistance. NCDA Planning Officer 1 Lorna Cadelina, on the other hand, said that they already distributed the IDs to all the cities and municipalities in the country, adding that those who were already issued an ID can now avail of the discount for transportation. She, however, said that the ID may still not be used to purchase discounted medicines and groceries since the Department of Health (DOH) has yet to issue guidelines for the issuance of booklets, while the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has yet to issue guidelines for the availment of discounts in grocery stores. The IDs, Cadelina said, shall be issued to any bonafide PWD with permanent disabilities due to any one or more of the following conditions like psychosocial, chronic illness, learning, mental, visual, orthopedic, speech and hearing conditions. The IDs would be issued to applicants who would be able to present medical certificate issued by licensed private or government physician for those whose disability is non-apparent. “For those disabilities are apparent or you could easily see the disability of the person, the requirement of medical certificate for the issuance of an ID could be waived," Cadelina said. She further explained that senior citizens who already have an ID for discount and are also disabled could only use one discount ID. - GMANews.TV