17/03/2022
PANELO LAUDS PASSAGE OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION LAW FOR LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES
Senatorial candidate and children with disabilities advocate, Salvador “Sal Panalo” Panelo lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of Republic Act No. 11650 (RA 11650), which aims to provide inclusive education for learners with disabilities (LWDs).
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, approximately 60% of Filipino children with disabilities (CWDs) were out of school in 2019. [1] Per the Department of Education, this figure even increased in 2020 and 2021 as enrolments declined due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [2] In 2018, Philhealth estimated that 1 out of 7 or 5.1 million Filipino children are living with disabilities. [3]
The comprehensive law, which was championed by Senator Win Gatchalian, requires all public and private schools “…to ensure equitable access to quality education to every learner with disability, such that no learner shall be denied admission on the basis of disability.” For those that cannot afford private schools, RA 11650 aims "to provide learners with disabilities free and appropriate public and early and basic education and support and related services based on their needs, and in preparation for independent living and community life.”
For this purpose, the law mandates the establishment of Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRC) in every city and municipality to provide free support services and teaching resources to schools in order to capacitate them to provide quality and appropriate education for all LWDs. The ILRC will be composed of a multi-disciplinary team of qualified teachers, therapists, counselors, and health and other specialists for CWDs.
Another key function of the ILRC is the implementation of the Child Find System which shall allow the “identification, location, and evaluation of all learners with disabilities… who are not receiving basic education services” so that they may be included in the general basic education system.
“On behalf of parents of children with disabilities, I thank Senator Win Gatchalian for championing this very timely and compassionate law, and President Rodrigo Duterte for approving the same. It is the primary duty of the government to serve and protect the people, and no group of persons need this more than children with disabilities and their families,” Panelo said.
Panelo added: “The passage of R.A. 11650 is a huge step in addressing the problem of inaccessibility to special education for CWDs, especially those from poor families. I am particularly happy that the law provides for the Child Find System because it is a proactive measure to ensure that no child with disability gets left behind.”
As with any law, however, Panelo said that Congress and stakeholders should keep an eye on the concerned agencies to ensure that RA 11650 is fully implemented and budgeted. He called on Congress to exercise its oversight functions and power of the purse to ensure that this noble law is executed as intended. He lamented that Republic Act No. 7277 or the “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons,” which promised free education and therapy for CWDs, was enacted in 1992, but has yet to be fully implemented 30 years later.
“We shouldn’t stop here, otherwise RA 11650 may join the list of noble laws like the Magna Carta for PWDs, which provide rights and reliefs only in name to most Filipinos. If given an opportunity to serve in the Senate, I will make sure that RA 11650 is fully funded and implemented by the concerned government bodies.”
The former Chief Legal Counsel and Spokesperson of President Duterte added that he will also push for legislative action for free therapy for CWDs, which like education is prohibitive and inaccessible, but not directly addressed by RA 11650. He will also bat for the establishment of government funded care facilities or nursing homes that will care for CWDs if their parents pass away ahead of them, or are incapable to provide for their care.
Panelo’s son Salvador Carlo III had Down Syndrome, and is his inspiration for his advocacy for CWDs. Carlo passed away due to heart complications in 2017 at the age of 27.
