Despite the passage of the Accessibility Law, or Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 (BP 344) four decades ago, the everyday encounters of persons with disability (PWDS) remain a challenge.
BP 344 was created to promote the realization of the rights of PWDs to participate fully in social life and economic development by providing them with barrier-free environments.
BP 344 became law on February 25, 1983 when it was officially approved by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.
The law mandates the installation of structural features like ramps, wide doorways, accessible elevators, and designated parking spaces in public and private buildings, streets, highways, public transport vehicles, and transport terminals.
Entrances and interior paths must allow safe and smooth movement for wheelchair users and semi-ambulatory individuals.
Buildings must allocate specially designated, clearly marked accessible parking slots close to main entrances.
Public utility vehicles and transport terminals must incorporate priority seating, accessible boarding devices, and clear directional signs.
BP 344 was enhanced by the passage of Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (Republic Act No. 7277) which was further expanded by R.A. Nos. 9442, 10070, 10524, 10754, and 11228.
R.A. 7277 was enacted on March 24,1992 to promote the rehabilitation, self-development, and self-reliance of disabled Filipinos.
The law defined Disabled Persons as those suffering from restriction of different abilities, as a result of a mental, physical or sensory impairment, to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
Impairment is any loss, diminution or aberration of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function.
Disability shall mean (a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more psychological, physiological or anatomical function of an individual or activities of such individual; (b) a record of such an impairment; or ( c) being regarded as having such an impairment.
R.A No. 7277 outlined equal opportunities for employment, access to quality education, health services, barrier-free public infrastructure (accessibility), and civil rights while prohibiting discrimination.
R.A. 9442 (2007) granted additional privileges, such as a 20% discount on medicines and public utility services, alongside strict penalties for public ridicule and vilification.
R.A No, 10070 (2010) established institutional mechanisms like Persons with Disability Affairs Offices (PDAO) across local government units.
R.A. Nos. 10524 (2013), 10754 (2016), and 11228 (2019) further expanded job placement quotas, tax exemptions, and mandatory PhilHealth coverage for PWDs.
However, despite the passage of said laws, the everyday encounters of PWDs remain a challenge.
This year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival featured the PWD short film “ Para-Paraan (Finding a Way Through)”, that reveals the barriers embedded within ordinary spaces and the constant adjustments required to move through them.
Directed, written, and produced by filmmaker and advocate Mae Chan Li, the 10-minute documentary features Katrina “Kat” Hernandez, a para powerlifter and wheelchair user, as she goes about withdrawing money from an ATM, picking up medication at a pharmacy, and buying groceries. Hernandez was born with a rare disease called Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.
Steep ramps, broken sidewalks, ill-designed elevators, and poorly constructed roads transform basic errands into formidable obstacles.
What begins as a personal journey becomes a reflection on the systems that shape participation, exposing how resilience is too often expected where accessibility should exist.
It was awarded Special Jury Prize for “its stark, grounded documentary style; for its piercing look into the physical and systemic barriers of urban life; for challenging audiences to rethink accessibility, inclusion, and the ordinary spaces around us; for its masterful but economical narrative; and for its powerful advocacy for the rights of the disabled.”
Li, who co-founded the advocacy platform Kat Out of the Box with Hernandez, has long advocated for using digital media, community engagement, and public education to dismantle disability stigma.
Kat Out of the Box is a social media account dedicated to shedding light on what it’s like to be a wheelchair user in the Philippines.
“We want to be able to spark conversations among people without disabilities so they can see that it’s not just our disabilities that make us disabled, it’s actually the barriers around us that contribute the most to us being left behind, ” Hernandez said.
( Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0908-8665786.)
