Dad seeks barrier-free facilities for disabled

City Councilor Gerardo Carillo is pushing for the passage of a proposed measure that seeks to require owners of buildings, establishments, institutions, and other public utilities to install barrier-free facilities and features to enhance the ability of differently abled persons.

Carillo, who is the council's chairman of the committee on social services, acted on the information disclosed by the Regional Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons that 90 percent of all accidents among people with disabilities occurred in the toilet and bathroom.

The People With Disabilities revealed that the specification of grab bars as provided for in BP 344, otherwise known as "An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by Requiring Certain Buildings, Institutions, Establishments and Public Utilities to Install Facilities and Other Devices", is "not disabled-friendly."

It was found out that such grab bars do not have vertical bars for pulling or climbing up, are too high, or do not provide leverage.

They also disclosed that the required maximum height of lavatories under BP 344, which is 0.80 meter, is quite high for their small physique as well as for their wheelchairs that are made small to fit into car trunks.

"Hence, there is a critical need to require buildings, institutions, establishments and other public utilities in the city of Cebu to install disabled-friendly design of grab bars in toilets and the installation of lavatories with a height of .75 meter," Carillo's proposed ordinance read.

Taking into consideration the predicament of the PWDs, Carillo drafted a proposed measure to address such problem and to correct the deficiency of the national law.

Carillo's proposed ordinance stated that it is in compliance of a provision of the 1991 Local Government Code which mandates that "the Sangguniang Panlungsod shall approve ordinances that shall, among others, provide for the care of disabled..."

As such, his proposed ordinance seeks to make it mandatory the installation of grab bars with the following descriptions: standing L-shaped, vertical for pull-up, lower horizontal bar, and bars on both sides.

It also requires building owners to install lavatories in the washroom area with a height of .75 meter.

Should this proposed ordinance be passed into law, building owners who would fail to comply with any of its provisions shall be imposed with a P2,000 fine for the first offense; P3,000 fine for the second offense; and P5,000 fine for the third offense as well as the suspension of business permit until it shall be able to comply with the local law.