PWDs are leading a movement in this Puerto Princesa barangay
MANILA, Philippines — In a small barangay in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, persons with disabilities (PWDs) are taking charge of realizing their rights.
For barangay Sicsican’s PWD association Vice President Christine Butay, forming an organization from the grassroots is necessary in empowering the community.
“Walang boses ‘yung nasa baba eh,” she said. “Nasa pinakadulo na kami ng laylayan ng lipunan.”
Butay, the youngest of four children, was born with cross-eye vision and congenital myopia. As she was growing up, her parents also noticed her difficulty in walking. She was eventually diagnosed with clubfoot disorder at three years old.
In 2017, Butay was hit by a motorcycle as she was crossing the street home. The accident completely crushed her bones.
That night, Butay was coming home from a leadership training in Romblon. It was then that she had an epiphany.
As she was recovering from the accident, Butay realized the importance of enacting policies and protocols that protect PWDs like her. For the longest time, her barangay’s PWD association had simply been working “just in compliance” with the barangay.
“Itong PWD [sector], parang [naging] lipservice lang,” Butay remarked.
Section 31 of the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 7277) states that government institutions “shall assist disabled persons in establishing self-help organizations by providing them with necessary technical and financial assistance.”
She thought that the moment had arrived for her barangay association to adopt a more assertive stance.
Back then, the PWD association was formed in name only. They had no budget and no plans for the association.
“‘Pag sinabi mong grassroots level, ang alam lang nila ‘PWD ako, may ID ako, I am entitled to discounts, priority lanes, and allowance,’ pero ‘yung technicalities behind PWD laws and national mandates, wala na,” she said.
The first challenge was to secure funds from the barangay to revive the association. They learned to write feasibility studies and budget reports, as well as different project proposals.
Because of their efforts, the PWD association was given a seat in the barangay’s budget hearings.
“We proved to them na worth it na katrabaho ang asosasyon,” Butay said.
Since then, the association has become one of the most active PWD organizations not only in the region but in the entire country.
A movement
Today, around 200 of barangay Sicsican’s more than 300 PWDs are active in the association’s initiatives. Current association president and polio survivor Christopher Bonete said that he finds strength in this number.
“Kapag organisado tayo, may lakas tayo,” Bonete said. “May boses tayo.”
Both Bonete and Butay put policy at the center of their leadership. They emphasize the importance of familiarizing themselves and the association with the country’s disability laws.
“Kailangang ibaba ang policy at research [mula] sa national level [papunta] sa barangay,” Butay remarked.
Knowing current laws and trends in the disability sector also helped the association secure more funds from their barangay.
For instance, Bonete said that the recent Mandanas ruling allowed them to lobby for more funds from their local government unit (LGU).
Under this Supreme Court ruling, LGUs are entitled to a greater share of the national tax collection. At the same time, they are required to handle social services for their jurisdictions.
As it stands, the association gets an equal share of the 1% allocated by the barangay for PWDs and senior citizens. This gave the association P133,000 to work with, as well as their own PWD desk and office in the barangay.
Other barangays are not as lucky, Bonente shared. In their regional federation, other PWD associations reported receiving only a 25-40% share of their barangay-allotted budget because the allocation is made solely under the discretion of the barangay and PWDs are often outnumbered by senior citizens.
A 2018 study by the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance revealed that almost 40% of LGUs in the country still do not have their own disability offices and many are still unaware of and non-compliant with the stipulations of the country’s disability law.
Bonente also reported an incident where a member was denied the mandated 20% discount on medicines despite presenting their PWD ID. He said that knowledge of the law helps in avoiding these circumstances.
Currently, the association is working on distributing copies of RA 7277 to its members. Members of the association said that Butay also shares infographics about the laws in their association group chats.
Bonente adds that awareness of PWD laws should not be limited to disabled persons alone. He said that non-disabled people also share the responsibility of knowing the law.
“Hindi lang PWD ang dapat aware sa batas ng PWD. Lahat dapat aware sila sa batas ng PWD,” Bonete said.
Bridging gaps
As a grassroots organization, the association is often the residents’ first line of defense in protecting their rights.
For physically disabled Liza de los Reyes, knowing her rights as a PWD serves as her “only protection” against a world of discriminating eyes.
“Hindi mawawala ang diskriminasyon sa kagaya kong ganito [disabled] lalo na kapag nakikita ako ng mga bata. Masakit din pero [kailangang] tatanggapin kasi ‘yun ang binigay,” she said.
Most of the barangay’s residents are part of the informal sector and one of the first to be maimed by stay-at-home restrictions.
“PWD ka na nga, napilayan ka pa ng kabuhayan,” Butay said.
The economic strain brought by the COVID-19 pandemic took jobs from up to 4.5 million Filipinos at the height of the pandemic. The effect was more palpable for PWDs who were already in a more disadvantaged position in finding work compared to their fully-abled peers.
For Butay, the stigma against PWDs remains a colossal problem and a massive barrier to getting a stable source of income.
“PWD ka na nga so you should stay at home, total nandiyan naman ‘yung government to subsidize what your needs are,” she said mockingly. “Pero alam naman nating in reality na that doesn’t really help enough.”
The struggle is doubly felt by women who have to deal with twice the stigma. According to the United Nations, disabled women are less likely to find work compared to disabled men.
“Ang sitwasyon pa rin sa paghahanap ng trabaho mas preferred ng mga company at tindahan ‘yung mga lalaki kasi they’re strong enough, they are more mobile than the women,” Butay said.
To address the members’ financial needs, the association hosts livelihood workshops that address the community’s difficulties in securing regular work, especially after the pandemic struck.
So far, the association has organized workshops on making potholders and doormats to ease this burden. Bonete said that it was best if members could practice the skills they hone given their limited mobility and multiple responsibilities at home.
The barangay reports positive outcomes from the training with some of the participants being able to sell their products online and within the community.
Bonente said that apart from learning these skills, it was important to give their members a market for their homemade products. The association then opened a space in their office where members can put their products on display.
The skills that members gain from these workshops have become indispensable to their survival.
Sally Ramiro, 49, was one of the beneficiaries of the government’s massage training program. She now offers massages on-call to support her 21-year-old son Emelson who developed cerebral palsy when he was eight months old.
Though helpful in earning additional income, it can not substitute for a regular job.
“Gipit talaga kasi hindi naman laging may nagpapa-massage sayo,” she said.
Lately, Emelson had been having seizures and fevers. However, Ramiro said, they are not able to afford to have him checked by a doctor just yet.
“Wala pa kaming pampa-check-up kaya pinapainom ko na lang muna ng [gamot sa lagnat],” she said.
De los Reyes shares the same struggle. As a single mother, she has to provide for her children, aged six and 13. She used to be a domestic helper in Abu Dhabi where pay was good but work was taxing. She eventually had to go home after learning about her husband’s infidelity.
“Hindi ko makayang lagi kong naririnig ang mga anak ko na ‘mommy wala kaming ulam,’ ‘wala kaming pamasahe sa school,’ ‘wala kaming pambili ng requirements.’”
While she had been a city employee in her younger years, she no longer had work when she came home.
“Kaya naman siguro naming mag-ulam ng tuyo basta’t kasama ko lang ang mga anak ko,” she added.
De los Reyes now works as a balut and barbeque vendor to support her family. She sought the association’s help in starting the business by borrowing money that served as her starting capital.
Bonete emphasized that PWDs have different needs and it is important to consider what would benefit the community the most in planning the association’s projects.
“Bilang lider, tingnan mo yung mga miyembro mo kung ano ang mga pangangailangan,” he said.
Apart from livelihood workshops, the association also offers capacity-building opportunities such as basic computer literacy training for both members and officers of the association.
Butay said that this is also to help the association navigate the bureaucracies and “red tape” of the national government. Bonete added that these competencies could also help members jumpstart their own computer shops or printing services.
Because of the association’s limited budget, Butay often serves as a resource speaker, relaying knowledge she learned from national conferences. Her affiliation with other national organizations allows her to seek — and eventually organize —different leadership and capacity-building trainings.
The association’s latest venture is to create a digital database of all its members to make cash aid distributions and member profiling easier for the association.
The need also first presented itself during relief operations for Typhoon Odette in 2021.
“Supposed to be ang vulnerable sector dapat ang mauuna sa bibigyan ng mga ayuda, the problem is wala kaming maibigay na statistics kasi wala kaming [digital] record,” Butay said.
While the achievements of the current leaders are notable, they also recognize the need to train future leaders.
Looking ahead
According to the association’s constitution and bylaws, a president may only serve for a maximum of six years. With this, the current officers are trying to instill the value of organizing in other members.
“Isa sa pinakachallenge namin is to do our job as organization leaders and at the same time mold the next leaders in the future,” Butay said.
According to the same UP NCPAG study, there is a need for more “direct PWD representation.” This is because the study showed limited participation from PWDs themselves in the government’s institutional affairs.
However, Butay raised the struggle of securing enough funding for the association to participate in disability conferences on a national level. She bemoans not being able to participate in the latest National Disability Week events held in Manila.
“Imagine, hihingin sayo 30,000-35,000 just to attend face-to-face diyan sa Manila. Parang nakakainggit sa isang banda kasi chance na sana siya [to participate in the National Federation],” she lamented.
Having “qualified” leaders from the PWD sector is also one of the primary concerns found in the study. Bonete and Butay do not deny the shortage in human resources. However, this is largely due to under-compensation.
“Let’s be realistic [...] ‘Bakit ako mag-aaksaya ng oras magpatakbo ng isang asosasyon nang hindi ako kumikita? Wala akong nahihita,’” Butay said.
As the association struggles to maintain its momentum and keep its footing, it is exhausting all its options to keep the organization alive despite its meager budget.
“We are really focusing on how to empower the entire association [...] Struggle na talaga sa amin to sustain ‘yung buhay ng mismong association na nakaasa lang kami sa pera ng taumbayan,” Butay said.
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