Makati to launch identity cards for the disabled

The Makati City government will officially launch the Person with Disability (PWD) Transport ID Card Plus tomorrow and will be distributed to 2,353 qualified recipients at the Makati City Hall Quadrangle.

Makati Social Welfare Development (MSWD) chief Marjorie de Veyra said the PWD Transport ID Card Plus entitles cardholders to receive fare discounts at the Metro Rail Transit, Light Rail Transit, provincial buses and jeepneys in Makati. Additional benefits for cardholders are still being negotiated.

"Initially, the ID will offer discounts covered by national laws. We are studying other means that will enhance the services extended to disabled persons in Makati," De Veyra said.

The distribution will be followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding to be led by Mayor Jejomar Binay, Director Catalina Fermin of the National Council for the Welfare of the Disabled Person, Director Honorita Baydan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region, and to be witnessed by the PWD Federation, local transport groups, and other stakeholders of the PWD Transport ID Plus.

Binay said the project, spearheaded by the MSWD aims to extend assistance to the city’s disabled citizens.

He noted that the project is backed by City Ordinance No. 2006-016, which is in accordance with Republic Act 7277 or the Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons.

"It will grant incentives and benefits to PWD cardholders up to 59 years old," Binay said.

PWD aged 60 years and above are already qualified for the national ID card for senior citizens. — Rhodina Villanueva