DEPUTY Majority Leader Erwin T. Tulfo, and his colleagues from the ACT-CIS party-list, and two other lawmakers filed a bill today (Aug. 22) to amend the Republic Act 7277 otherwise known as “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons” to require the employment of persons with disability (PWDs) in all the qualified companies in the country.
In a three-page House Bill No. 8941 , signed by ACT-CIS partylist Reps. Erwin Tulfo, Jocelyn Tulfo, and Edvic Yap; Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Ralph Tulfo, they introduced an act expanding the positions reserved for qualified PWDs, amending for the purpose RA 7277, as amended, otherwise known as “Magna Carta for PWDs” or “An Act Providing for the Rehabilitation, Self-Development, and Self-Reliance of Disabled Person and their Integration into the Mainstream of Society and for Other Purposes.”
Under the amendment of the bill, at least one percent of all the positions in the government agencies, offices or corporations shall be reserved for qualified PWDs; private corporations with more than 100 employees shall reserve at least one percent of all positions for qualified PWDs; and private corporations with less than 100 employees shall reserve position (s) for qualified PWDs.
“Despite a number of legislations providing employment, education, health and accessibility support, among others, the PWDs, they are still at a disadvantage in several facets of the society,” the explanatory note of the bill said.
“While the primary goal of the state is to enable the country’s disabled persons to overcome the social barriers through comprehensive, inclusive, and adequate support, it also becomes of tantamount importance to provide them with equal protection in terms of growth and development opportunities such as employment,” it added.
The lawmakers also stressed that while RA No. 10524 is the recent amendment to RA 7277, which guarantees the positions of qualified PWDs in government agencies, offices, and corporations, this bill seeks to expand the said mandate by making it compulsory for private entities with more than 100 employees to allot at least one percent of their total position to the qualified PWDs, and in consonance, highly encouraging the said practice to the private corporations with less than 100 employees.
The said proposed measure also grants tax incentives to those private corporations that will comply with the said practice of employment hiring.
