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• Mission Planned

Mission to the Philippines
27 March to 2 April 2005

Non-Handicapping Environment Promoting Social Impact and Outcome in the Philippines

Mr. Jaime G. Silva and Mr. Armand Michael R. Eustaquio, APCD's ex-trainees of the Non-Handicapping Environment Workshop for National Trainers and Policy Makers, initiated the Training of Trainers on the Promotion of a Non-Handicapping Environment (NHE) for Persons with Disabilities, which was organized by the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP)/Department of Social Welfare and Development, in collaboration with JICA-Philippines Office, from 1 to 4 March 2005, in Manila, the Philippines. It was organized in cooperation with organizations of persons with disabilities, local government units from 17 regions of the Philippines, and the Union of Architects. Each region sent officials from the Building and Transportation Authorities, and representatives of persons with disabilities.

APCD invited Mr. Joseph Kwan, a Non-Handicapping Environment Resource Person from Hong Kong, as well as Mr. Jaime G. Silva and Mr. Armand Michael R. Eustaquio, to be Speakers/Facilitators.

Hon. Luwalhati F. Pablo, Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Mr. Shozo Matsuura, Resident Representative of JICA Philippines, presided over the opening ceremony.

One of the participants, Ms. Mary Anthony G. Subia, President of the Provincial Federation of PWD of Nueva Vizcaya, Inc., organized the provincial Workshop on Accessibility Law on 29 March 2005, in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Fifteen representatives of persons with disabilities from 15 municipalities in Nueva Vizcaya participated in the Workshop, along with government agencies/local government units, building officials, architects, private sectors and religious sectors, totaling 61 participants.

Hon. Jose V. Gambito, the Acting Governor, opened the Workshop with words of Challenge. Hon. Hipolito Mamuric III, Chairman of the Committee on the Elderly and Persons with Special Abilities and Ms. Lita D. Tabudlo, Representative of the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office gave warm welcome remarks.

APCD's ex-trainees, Mr. Jaime G. Silva and Mr. Armand M.R. Eustaquio gave lectures and the APCD Chief Adviser introduced the APCD Project and non-handicapping environment strategy.

During the Workshop, a monitoring of existing buildings by two groups found that the toilet of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office building was not accessible for wheelchair users. Hon. Hipolito Mamuric promised to make it accessible with Ms. Lita D. Tabudlo, the Provincial Social Welfare Development Officer also agreeing.

The National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons drafted a project on the "Creation of a Non-Handicapping Environment for Filipinos in Rural Areas" under the program: Towards a Barrier-free and Rights-based Philippines, which was endorsed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Government of the Philippines and proposed that JICA Philippines' collaborate in promoting and establishing an accessible environment to provide persons with disabilities equal opportunities towards full participation in all aspects of life and to become partners in nation-building.

The project has four specific objectives:

1. To conduct data gathering activities (environmental scanning) to determine existing resources and needs relative to the non-handicapping environment for persons with disabilities in rural areas.
2. To formulate a Manual on the promotion/creation of a non-handicapping environment as a guide for stakeholder(s), persons with disabilities and other concerned sectors.
3. To conduct capability-building activities at the national, regional, provincial, and city/municipal levels using the Manual.
4. To conduct advocacy and promotional activities on accessibility.

The project has four major components:

1. Research which involves:

   • environmental scanning
   • development of a Manual/Guidelines
   • accessibility mapping
   • development of prototype access facility/equipment using local/indigenous materials
   • consultation with pwds, professional groups, etc.
2. Capacity-Building
   • Conduct training for trainers using the developed Manual to equip concerned sectors with the appropriate attitude, knowledge, and skills on accessibility/access to the built environment
   • Training shall be done at the national, regional, provincial, and city/municipal levels
   • Participants shall be representatives from DSWD Field offices (regional level) PSWDOs, PWD and professionals (architects, engineers)

3. IEC/Advocacy

   Development/distribution of IEC/Advocacy materials such as access signages, other information materials appropriate to the areas like comics, posters depicting the local situation and using the local dialect.

4. Monitoring/Evaluation

   Built-in monitoring activities shall be instituted to assess programs, and identify issues/problems that need to be addressed immediately to ensure success.

APCD ex-trainees will design the prototype access facility/ equipment to use local and indigenous materials such as bamboo or rattan for rural buildings. In fact, most of the buildings will be made from bamboo and wood. Therefore, this rural accessibility equipment will be locally affordable since 75-80% of the people with disabilities live in rural areas in the Philippines, and will focus on non-handicapping environment training in the rural population.This project will have self-help organizations of persons with disabilities as major stakeholders, as well as the local government agencies/units and the Architect Union of the Philippines. A National Workshop for Promotion of Non-Handicapping Environment will be held, then 17 regional workshops will be conducted followed by79 provincial workshops to promote and implement the non-handicapping environment throughout the Philippines.

The Philippines are home to 8.5 million Filipinos with disabilities, who are still isolated from the community due to the lack of accessibility. The Government of the Philippines developed The National Plan of Action Philippines Decade of Persons with Disabilities (2003-2012), which is in line with the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action, with 7 priority areas and 4 strategies. In the Philippines, accessibility is the lowest ranked priority of the Framework for Action. This project will, therefore, focus on the least developed area of the National Plan of Action. APCD will continue to collaborate and support this promotion and movement for a non-handicapping environment.