The widespread use of persons with disability (PWD) cards is raising concerns from the business sector, said Senator Win Gatchalian on Saturday.
The online sale of persons PWD cards is rampant, and their usage is being abused, prompting complaints from the business sector, said Senator Win Gatchalian on Saturday.
Gatchalian said he has a friend who possesses a PWD card but is a heavy drinker. Whenever it’s time to pay, this friend would present the PWD card. He also discovered that PWD cards are being sold on online marketplaces for ₱1,300.
Due to counterfeiting, the government is losing ₱88 billion.
“Ang pumasok sa isip ko na maraming umaabuso sa PWD card dahil ang discount napakalaki 20% ang binibigay sa konsumo and then VAT exempt ka pa, hindi ka pa magbabayad ng 12% VAT. So 32%, imagine mo almost one-third ng babayaran mo ay diskwento,” he said during the “Special on Saturday” program on DZRH.
He added that in his own area in Valenzuela, sellers even go house-to-house to offer these cards.
There are two main reasons why people are abusing the system. First, the PWD card “itself” is fake. Second, some Filipinos falsify their own disability.
“Wala naman silang disability pero kumukuha pa rin sila ng PWD card. Siguro may mga tumutulong sa kanila sa loob kaya nakakakuha sila ng PWD cards,” Gatchalian said.
For this reason, he proposed imposing criminal liabilities on those who abuse and falsify PWD cards. He pointed out that under the current law that grants discounts, there is no penal provision to cover abusers.
“Yan ang isang recommendation namin na dapat may penal provision. Ang ginagamit ngayon ng LGUs dahil ang nag-i-issue nitong cards ay LGU, ang kanilang usual powers under the local government code, under the revised penal code, yan ang ginagamit nilang powers,” the senator explained.
He also highlighted the many benefits that come with having a PWD card, such as discounts on food, medicine, basic necessities, and more. PWDs are also prioritized in lines when voting or dealing with government agencies, either through priority lanes or other accommodations.
In the Philippines, there are around 1.8 million legitimate PWDs, according to government records. However, when they computed the data, they found that there are about 8.5 million counterfeit PWD cards.
In the past, PWD sales accounted for only 3-5% of business revenues. But that figure has now quintupled. Previously, for every four sales, one was to a PWD. Now, it seems that every family, including household helpers, has a PWD card.
“Madalas kung 10 ang kumakain, 10 ang PWD,” Gatchalian said.
One of the proposed reforms is to update the registry file, which they found to be “obsolete.” This registry must be made real-time and accessible to private establishments to verify the authenticity of PWD cards.
Gatchalian cited Bacolod’s example, where the LGU now uses QR coding to authenticate PWD card holders.
“Ordinaryong telepono lang ang ginagamit para i-scan at lalabas doon kaagad kung ikaw ay legitimate o hindi ka legitimate,” he said, stating that Mayor Albee Benitez is willing to share their strategy to other LGUs.
