A group of lawmakers on Tuesday filed a bill seeking to require the employment of persons with disability (PWDs) in any qualified companies across the country.
Under House Bill No. 8941, Reps. Erwin and Jocelyn Tulfo, and Edvic Yap of ACT-CIS Party-list; Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Ralph Tulfo proposed to amend the Republic Act (RA) 7277 or “the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons”.
They seek to expand the positions reserved for qualified PWDs provided under RA 7277, otherwise known as “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.”
At least 1 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 1 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,” they 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,” they added.
While the recent amendment to RA 7277 guarantees the expanded positions reserved for qualified PWDs in government agencies, offices and corporations, they said HB 8941 seeks to reinforce the said mandate by making it compulsory for private entities with more than 100 employees to allot at least 1 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.
They said the proposed measure also grants tax incentives to those private corporations that will comply with the said practice of employment hiring. (PNA)