A senatorial aspirant on Tuesday stressed it is high time that persons with disabilities (PWDs) be given utmost priority by the government.
PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Salvador Panelo also called for a review of Republic Act No. 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons,” saying the law has yet to be fully implemented despite the fact that it was passed in 1992.
“Thirty years have passed since the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons became law, but many PWDs are still unable to reap the benefits of this law,” Panelo said.
Panelo recalled the credo of former President Ramon Magsaysay that stated: “Those who have less in life should have more in law.” If this will be followed, then “the government should prioritize PWDs, including children with disabilities (CWDs), because they carry burdens that most of us don’t,” Panelo said. Maricel V. Cruz
“The government should provide them with more care and support than it provides for ordinary Filipinos. PWDs should be treated as VIPs!”, the former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Malacanang Spokesperson added.
Panelo’s platform for the Senate includes free education and therapy for CWDs, and the establishment of nursing homes or facilities for orphaned CWDs. He said that this is inspired by his experiences as a father of a special child.
His son Carlo Panelo had down syndrome, who died in 2017 at age 27.
