By ALLAN YVES BRIONES, BRYAN EZRA GONZALES and ARIANNE CHRISTIAN TAPAO Photos by LUIS LIWANAG Infographics by ARIANNE CHRISTIAN TAPAO [metaslider id=35140] WHEELCHAIR ramps have sprouted a stone’s throw away from the food hubs and nightlife scene of Timog Avenue. These recently constructed ramps pepper Scout Tobias, a street that cuts across several residential roads in
Text by ARIANNE CHRISTIAN TAPAO Photos and video by ALLAN YVES BRIONES [metaslider id=36323] CLAD in the blue, red and yellow colors of the Philippine flag, they are marching to freedom. As if going to war, they have armors strapped to their legs and their arms. Some are in phalanx formation, even. They are persons
By ALLAN YVES BRIONES, PAUL JOHN DOMALAON, BRYAN EZRA GONZALES, NICOLE-ANNE LAGRIMAS and ARIANNE CHRISTIAN TAPAO “CHILDREN with disabilities are like butterflies with a broken wing. They are just as beautiful as all others, but they need help to spread their wings.” Maria Theresa Marquina, 41, reads the quote on the tarpaulin she is about
By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL AMID reports of people with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens climbing a flight of stairs to vote, an international nonprofit group finds this year’s elections “disability-inclusive” compared to previous ones. In its assessment, The Asia Foundation (TAF) lauded the Commission on Elections for its widened scope of accessible polling places (APPs)
By JAKE SORIANO A record number of Filipino persons with disabilities (PWDs) have been granted scholarships this year to pursue graduate studies in Australia. Four scholars – Ramon Apilado, Krissy Bisda, Eric Papas and Virginia Rabino – are set to complete master’s degrees at the University of Newcastle under the Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS), awarded
By VERA Files CALLING emergency accessible polling places (EAPPs) “a mere band-aid solution,” a poll watchdog has scored the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for failing to do enough to accommodate vulnerable voters. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) said many persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, pregnant women and indigenous communities were disenfranchised because
By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL PRESIDENTIAL race frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte, already facing a plunder case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes, has been slapped with yet another complaint, this time by disabillity groups and advocates. Disability advocates Ranilo Sorongon and Liza Martinez charged the Davao City mayor before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Friday with violating the
By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL WHEN polling places open on May 9, none of them would be in malls, as had been planned and hailed months before the elections. On April 27, poll chief Andres Bautista announced that mall voting, a pilot project of his administration, will no longer push through. “I personally worked on
[metaslider id=34942] Text and photos by ALANAH TORRALBA CATARMAN, Northern Samar — Classes are held in rooms without roofs, and when it rains, the rooms are swamped with floodwater. This lone Special Education Center (SPED) in Northern Samar sustained heavy damage from Typhoon Nona (International Name: Melor) last year. Some 1,200 classrooms were destroyed, costing
By JAKE SORIANO THE disability sector breathed a sigh of relief when news broke in late March that President Benigno Simeon Aquino III had finally signed into law the bill exempting persons with disabilities (PWDs) from the value-added tax (VAT). For advocates, the enactment of Republic Act 10754 had been one nerve-wracking wait. Congress had
