Davao City First Congressional District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte led lawmakers in pushing for the swift approval of a measure to grant parents of children with disabilities (CWDs) a P2,000 monthly subsidy from the government.
Duterte along with Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and ACT-CIS Partylist Reps. Edvic Yap and Jeffrey Soriano filed House Bill 6743 which explains the requirements for parents of disabled children to qualify for the subsidy and mandates the creation of a database of all CWDs to be able to effectively implement this proposed law.
The bill refers to a CWD below 21 years old with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s functions or activities. It also refers to a child with a record of such an impairment or being regarded as having such an impairment.
In a statement, the authors stated that this proposed measure seeks to provide the [government] support and assistance needed by children with disabilities through a provision of a monthly subsidy to their parents to help alleviate the challenges they continuously face amid the rising costs of living.
All biological parents and court-appointed guardians of CWD as verified and certified by the DSWD and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) are also covered by the measure.
To qualify for the said subsidy, the beneficiary must be a holder of an authentic person with disabilities (PWD) identification card as a requirement.
The P2,000 monthly aid will be released by the Department of Social and Welfare Development (DSWD). The aid shall also automatically cease when the child reaches 21 years of age.
Moreover, HB 6743 includes provisions to penalize persons found committing any fraudulent act or misrepresenting themselves or themselves as a parent of a CWD to be able to deceive the government into receiving the cash aid.
For first-time violators, the bill provides for a fine of not less than P25,000 but not exceeding P50,000. Subsequent violations are punishable with a fine of not less than P50,000 but not exceeding P100,000.
Any other person, corporation, or organization, whether natural or juridical, found violating the provisions of the measure will be fined not less than P100,000 but not exceeding P200,000.
Under the bill, a CWD database shall also be created and updated annually by the DSWD, National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and the National Privacy Commission (NPC) in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to effectively plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the grant of the subsidy.
The bill sets an initial allocation of P2 billion for the first year of implementing the program.
