DSWD now supervises agency for persons with disability

Recognizing that most persons with disabilities are poor, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has returned the supervision of the National Council on Disability Affairs to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. In Executive Order 33, Aquino said the DSWD, given its mandate, has institutional support that can be provided to the NCDA in order to carry out its functions more effectively. “Recognizing that majority of PWD [persons with disability] live in a condition of poverty and are faced with challenges as a result of their disabilities that need to be addressed by concerted efforts between and among government agencies and the civil society, both at the national and local levels," the President said. He, however, did not elaborte on how many PWDs are poor. He added the DSWD is mandated to provide social protection and promote the rights and welfare of the poor, vulnerable, and the disadvantaged individuals, families and communities to contribute to poverty alleviation and empowerment through social welfare and development policies, programs, projects and services. The programs and projects will be implemented with or through local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), peoples organizations (POs), other government organizations (GOs) and members of the civil society, he said. “One of the thrusts of the present administration is the streamlining of attached agencies to ensure that each agency has a defined set of functions and obligation in accordance with law," Aquino said. With the issuance of EO 33, DSWD Secretary Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman will now be the ex-officio chairman of NCDA. In 1987, Presidential Decree No. 1509, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1761, created the National Commission Concerning Disabled Persons (NCCDP) which was later renamed as the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) attached to the DSWD by virtue of Executive Order 123. The NCWDP is tasked to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns as well as monitor the implementation of national laws and international commitments. Also in 1987, EO 232 was issued providing for the structural and functional reorganization of the NCWDP towards a more effective and efficient delivery of services to PWDs. By virtue of EO 676 issued in 2007, the NCWDP was transferred from the DSWD to Office of the President to further strengthen the government’s programs for the welfare of PWDs. In 2008, EO 709 renamed the NCWDP as the NCDA redefining its functions and organizational structure in consonance with the government’s international commitments and national laws. — LBG, GMA News