BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — All 129 barangays of Baguio City are now required to organize a committee on people with disabilities and maintain PWD desks.
City Ordinance No. 47, series of 2017, authored by Councilor Arthur Allad-iw, himself a PWD, said the village committees will be headed by the barangay chairman and the chair of the committee on women and family.
The other members will be the president of the village PWD group, the barangay health worker, a civil society representative, an inter-faith representative, a youth representative, the Barangay Nutrition Action officer, barangay volunteers and a representative from the Local Development Council.
The committee is required to meet once every three months or more often if necessary and will serve as an advisory committee to the barangay council on PWD concerns.
Its other tasks are proposing annual budgetary allocations for the operation and maintenance of PWD desks, formulating the PWD development plans and programs, and assisting the barangay council set the direction for the economic and social development of PWDs.
It will also coordinate, monitor, appraise and evaluate the implementation of development programs and project for PWDs, mobilize people’s participation in PWD development efforts, assist in the formulation of the guidelines in the general management and/or operation of the PWDs and perform other functions as needed.
The committee chair is tasked to coordinate with the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer on PWD concerns; represent the barangay during PWD activities and meetings of local development councils and other special bodies; issue identification cards to PWDs, and ensure that PWDs are assisted by persons of their choice during national or local elections.
Allad-iw earlier pointed out the need for the proper documentation monitoring of how many PWDs are in each barangay and to identify where they live as well as their needs so they can be prioritized, along with the elderly and other vulnerable persons, during calamities.
Violation of the ordinance is subject to fines ranging from P3,000 to P5,000.
