Filipinos with permanent disability, medical condition visible or not, can apply for a Person With Disability (PWD) identification card as proof of entitlement as a PWD to get discounts that can help in easing for medical expenses and other types of purchases.
Pursuant to Republic Act 10754, which defines persons with disability as those with “long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments” that interfere with their interactions in society, the Department of Health (DOH) considers the following types of disabilities as eligible for a PWD ID:
- Psychosocial disability – Includes bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, epilepsy, and other long-term and recurring mental or behavioral issues
- Disability resulting from a chronic illness – Includes orthopedic disability due to cancer, blindness due to diabetes, and other disabilities due to a chronic disease
- Learning disability – e.g. Dysgraphia, Dyslexia
- Visual disability – Simple poor eyesight doesn’t automatically qualify a person for a PWD ID unless the visual impairment can’t be corrected. Individuals with such condition need to present a medical certificate from their ophthalmologist with a clearance of functional limitation due to poor eyesight.
- Orthopedic (Musculoskeletal), physical disability – Includes people with dwarfism and amputated hands or feet. Individuals with scoliosis may also apply for an ID.
- Mental disability (illness or disorder) - e.g. schizophrenia
- Intellectual disability - Slow progress in mental development
- Hearing disability - Deaf or hard of hearing
- Speech, language impairment - Includes developmental language disorder, language delay, or developmental dysphasia; communication disorder that adversely affects a person's ability to talk, understand, read, and write; trouble producing certain sounds accurately.
- Multiple disabilities
Recently, Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid filed Senate Bill 1795 which seeks to provide lifetime validity of PWD Identification Cards to persons with permanent disabilities to eliminate the unnecessary burden of renewing PWD ID's every three years, and to ensure that the information contained therein reflects the holder's current disability status.
The government is strict in evaluating applicants, as some people tend to abuse the system by faking their disability or using a fake ID to enjoy discounts and privileges.
Meanwhile, DOH has developed a data bank, the Philippine Registry for Persons with Disability, to address needs of persons with disabilities with ease -- https://pwd.doh.gov.ph/login.php
Correspondingly, the National Council on Disability Affairs is currently in the process of digitalization, for both their services and information materials, to be of better service to their constituents, said Executive Director Engr. Emer Rojas. (MCG/ PIA-IDPD/NCDA)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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