NCDA reiterates equal job opportunities for PWDs

TACLOBAN CITY, March 9 (PNA) -– The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) asked government agencies and the private sector to step up efforts to get persons with disabilities (PWDs) into the labor force.

Carmen Zubiaga, NCDA acting executive director, said that Public Employment Service Offices of local government units should have employment promotion program for people with physical deformities.

“We need the cooperation of all agencies for this. We are also looking at the application form that job seekers used during job fair to include information about PWD so their potential employers could see it,” Zubiaga said.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes noted that employment opportunities for PWDs are only limited to tourism establishments, specifically entertainment and massage therapy services.

“Employers should expand skills for PWDs by offering them office-related job or even to do marketing,” Tiopes said.

The NCDA and DOT suggested that job fairs should have a express lane for PWDs. Local government units and the Department of Labor of Employment should have a profile of every PWD, including their skills for employment references.

Republic Act 7277 prohibits the discrimination on employment of PWDs. “No entity, whether public or private, shall discriminate against a qualified disabled person by reason of disability in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, promotion, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”

As part of the PWD Month celebration, the NCDA and DOT conducted a seminar on “Accessible Tourism for Persons with Disabilities,” an advocacy to promote “Tourism for All.”

This is part of the Aquino administration’s goal to attract 10 million foreign visitors and 35.5 million domestic tourists this year.

Under Section the law, establishments or buildings are mandated to install and incorporate, architectural facilities or structural features such as sidewalks, ramps, railings and a the like to help the mobility of PWDs. (PNA)
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