Davao City to hire more PWDs for Disabilities Affairs Office

On October, the members of the 20th City Council approved on the third and final reading an ordinance creating the PDAC-PDAO as a Division under the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), determining its duties, powers, and functions.

Based on the ordinance, a total of 15 positions are to be filled for the following posts: Division Head, Assistant Division Head, Administrative staff of the division, regular positions under the Operations section, and regular positions under the Promotive section.

CSWDO Social Welfare Operations Division (SWOD) Chief Sarah Festin said there are two divisions of the soon-to-be-established office: the Operations Section and the Promotive Section. The Operations Section is responsible for the processing of the PWD IDs, while the Promotive Section will be in charge of the information, education, and communication campaigns (IECs), technical, and monitoring tasks.

Festin said that the issuance of PWD IDs has long been offered by the city even without the ordinance that institutionalizes the creation of the division. The PDAO under CSWDO was established way back in 2014 through Executive Order No. 34 Series of 2014 or the “Order Creating the Interim Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (IPDAO), Defining its functions and for other purposes “by then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. IPDAO has been placed under the supervision of CSSDO (the former name of CSWDO). 

She added that the creation of the division and establishment of sections with regular personnel is a huge help, especially that the scope of who is considered as PWD has expanded.

“Sa atoang datos sa 2021, more or less naa ta’y record nga 19,000 plus na PWD. Aside from that naa pud ta’y categories sa PWDs, naa ta'y seven types of categories nga gina-consider nato sa PWD. So naa man gud siya'y bag-o nga guidelines nga dili lang ta mu-limit sa pisikal, sa atoang mental ug sa atoang visual and ortho, pati ang atoang mga persons or individuals nga cancer patients - ma consider naman gud siya as PWD,” Festin said in a report from the City Information Office.

Festin said that a requirement from the previous E.O 34, which said that the head of the office must be a person with a disability is retained in the creation of the division. This time, based on the requirement set by law, the selection of the Division Head will pass through a general assembly that will be attended by PWDs.

“Every chapter will give at least three nominees. The nominee who will best qualify will sit as division chief of PDAC-PDAO,” Festin said, adding that CSWDO as per mandate organized PWD groups, and these groups exist in all 14 districts.

The ordinance will be enforced after it is signed by Mayor Sebastian Baste Duterte and should be published based on the requirement set by law to be effective.

Festin said that CSWDO is currently partnering with the Committee on Social Services of the City Council for the passage of another legislation that will allow persons with disability to do desk work in the barangays.