Persons with disabilities (PWDs), by law, are privileged to be “first” in the delivery of basic services.
Even more so in San Pedro City, Laguna, as the city government under Mayor Art Mercado has pushed for them to be prioritized in his goal of the city becoming “Una sa Laguna.”
As the Philippines celebrated “National Disability Rights Week,” from July 17 to 23, the San Pedro LGU unveiled a weeklong lineup of activities that will ensure that will enable them to become active participants in building the city’s socio-economic progress despite their handicaps.
This marks the first-ever celebration of “National Disability Rights Week," which was institutionalized by Proclamation No. 597 issued by Malacañan last June 13.
Aside from commemorating the birthday of the "Sublime Paralytic" Apolinario Mabini on July 23, the celebration of National Disability Rights Week is part of the commitment of the national government to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
Once called the “National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week,” the week-long celebration aims “to stimulate public awareness of the problems of disability, encourage every citizen to take active responsibility in the uplifting of the economic and social conditions of the disabled members of our society, and highlight the nation’s efforts towards disability prevention and rehabilitation,” according to Proclamation No. 597.
Green Card registration
The highlight of the celebration of the National Disability Rights Week in San Pedro City is the rollout of registration for the much-anticipated San Pedro Green Card, which was launched last May during the Sampaguita Festival.
From July 16 to 18, PWDs were given first priority for registering to the Green Card – which is part of the Mercado administration’s push to transform San Pedro into a “smART City” – during a three-day caravan held at SM Center San Pedro.
According to Jhe-Rico Sam Colina, head of the San Pedro City Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO), the current registration of PWDs for the San Pedro Green Card is not only a fulfillment of Mercado’s pledge to prioritize this sector in the city government’s landmark project but is also a “dry run” as it prepares for the full rollout of the program by August this year.
“Marami po ang nagtatanong kung bakit hindi po tayo nag-anunsyo agad ng registration para sa San Pedro Green Card. Ang dahilan po nito ay dahil ito pong registration natin ng mga PWDs ay isang dry run, upang makita po natin kung paano po natin mai-improve ang registration process,” Colina explained in an interview with OpinYon Laguna last Thursday, July 18.
The registration process for PWDs, Colina added, gave the city government the ideal opportunity to explore the potential challenges it could face in ensuring that every San Pedrense will receive a Green Card.
“Complex po talaga ang pagpaparehistro natin sa mga PWD dahil po sa mga challenges na kinakaharap nila. Halimbawa po, may mga bedridden, may learning o speech problems, may mga hindi kayang mag-fill up o pumirma ng forms. So iyon po ang mga issue na nakita natin na dapat nating i-address sa pagpaparehistro para sa Green Card,” the PAIO chief stressed.
Given the fact that all Green Cards will also be linked with digital payments provider Maya (to facilitate faster distribution of financial benefits, as Mercado had pledged), Colina noted that these issues needed to be addressed before the full rollout of the Green Card program next month.
“Ang target natin kasi is, lahat ng registered voters dito sa San Pedro ay makakatanggap ng Green Card. Pero since may mga limits sa pagtanggap ng registration, lalo na sa pagreregister sa Maya, we calculated that we would need around 40 encoders para mas mabilis na maproseso ang mga registration forms. So we decided na isabay na sa pagdiriwang natin ng National Disability Rights Week ang dry run, para makita natin yung mga logistical issues na maaari nating kaharapin,” he said.
Meanwhile, the city government is already coordinating with officials of the city’s 27 barangays for its plans to bring the registration for the Green Card down to the barangays, as well as for information dissemination.
Other activities for PWDs
Aside from prioritizing PWDs in the initial rollout of the San Pedro Green Card, the San Pedro Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) has also prepared a full weeklong lineup of events aimed at engaging the city’s PWDs through meaningful activities and public-service caravans.
These include a Jobs Fair for PWDs on July 15; a "PWD Got Talent" competition on July 18; a two-day Sign Language Training Activity for hard-of-hearing persons and their guardians; and a PWD Trade Fair at the San Pedro City Hall.
The PDAO also conducted a "Himig ng Pag-asa" Songwriting and Interpretation Contest last July 19, which aims to uplift the spirits of PWDs with the theme "Patuloy sa Paglakbay."
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