Disability Support Fund Act

Senate Office of the Secretary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES MAY -5 P3:13 First Regular Session RECEIVED BY: SENATE Senate Bill No. _ 2096 Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPPORT FUND FOR THE EMPOWERMENT, FULL PARTICIPATION, AND INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN SOCIETY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE Every individual is born with unique abilities and circumstances that enable them to contribute meaningfully to national development and to participate fully in society in their own way. However, for persons with disabilities (PWDs), whether congenital or acquired, these differences may limit opportunities due to physical, social, and systemic barriers. The responsibility therefore rests on the State to exert greater effort to ensure that no citizen of theirs is left behind, and that individuals with disabilities are adequately supported to overcome the risks and barriers associated with their condition. Data from the Department of Health (DOH) indicate that, as of April 2026, there are approximately 3 million PWDs in the Philippines.' Of this number, 1,023,584 have physical disabilities, 434,262 have speech impairments, 397,799 have psychosocial disabilities, 303,230 have visual disabilities, and 181,784 have mental disabilities.? While they represent a significant portion of the population, many PWDs remain vulnerable to exclusion, as existing systems are often designed primarily for those without disabilities. NCDA. Disability Cases Per Gender. Published on 7 April 2026. Available at https://ncda.gov.ph/ (Accessed on 28 April 2026). 2 NCDA. Disability Cases Per Type of Disability. Published on 7 April 2026. Available at https://ncda.gov.ph/ (Accessed on 28 April 2026).

Every day, persons with disabilities confront challenges that require them to navigate a world not fully built to accommodate their needs. Beyond these barriers, they also incur substantial disability-related costs. These include direct expenses, such as assistive devices, personal assistance, sign language interpretation, healthcare, and specialized transportation, as well as indirect costs, such as reduced productivity, extended travel time, and lost income from family members who must provide care. These financial burdens significantly increase the risk of poverty, social exclusion, and limited participation in society. This reality is further underscored by a study conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which found that Filipino families raising children with disabilities spend 40% to 80% more than those without. Consequently, these families face poverty rates that are at least 50% higher than the national average, highlighting the urgent need for targeted and sustained government intervention. 3 Thus, this measure seeks to establish a Disability Support Fund, to be primarily administered by the DSWD, which will deliver a comprehensive and responsive package of assistance tailored to the needs of persons with disabilities. As part of its core components, the Fund will provide a regular stipend to indigent persons with disabilities, based on eligibility criteria to be developed by the DSWD, the National Council on Disability Affairs, and representatives from PWD organizations. The initial monthly amount of Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000.00) per beneficiary shall be subject to indexation to inflation, ensuring that it remains responsive to the evolving costs of disability-related needs and services. Finally, to uphold the integrity of the program, the measure includes penal provisions which shall impose fines and administrative sanctions against individuals or entities who commit fraudulent acts, such as the wrongful enrollment of ineligible beneficiaries, as well as violations of the Act and its implementing rules and regulations. These safeguards aim to ensure that the benefits of the Fund are protected and directed to those who truly need them. By strengthening support systems and expanding access to essential services, this proposed measure aims to promote inclusion, reduce inequality, and empower persons with disabilities to live with dignity and actively participate in nation-building. In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. JOEL VILLANUEVA DSWD. Study: In the Philippines, raising a child with a disability is 80% more expensive. Available at https://fo3.dswd.gov.ph/2022/12/study-in-the-philippines-raising-a-child-with-a-disability-is-80-more- expensive/ (Accessed on 28 April 2026).

Senate Difier of the Sriretary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 26 MAY -5 P3:13 First Regular Session RECEIVED BY SENATE 2096 Senate Bill No. Introduced by Senator JOEL VILLANUEVA AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPPORT FUND FOR THE EMPOWERMENT, FULL PARTICIPATION, AND INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN SOCIETY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Disability

2 Support Fund Act. "

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The Philippines, as a State Party to the

4 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 5 recognizes all the rights of persons with disabilities and shall take effective and 6 appropriate measures to respect, protect, and fulfill the full enjoyment by persons 7 with disabilities of these rights such as, but not limited to, access to habilitation 8 and rehabilitation services, participation in socio-economic activities, access to a range of in-home, residential, and other community support services, including personal assistance, learning and assistive devices, and technology necessary to support living independently and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation or segregation from the community. It is the declared policy of the State to adopt the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land. It is likewise vital that the State 15 advance social justice in order to end poverty in all its forms, particularly the

1 historical deprivation of the support required by persons with disabilities for their 2 effective inclusion and full participation in society. To attain a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and 4 independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that 5 provide adequate social services, promote full employment, raises the standard of 6 living, and improve the quality of life, appropriate measures in developing social 7 protection programs and allowances that recognize the additional costs associated 8 with disability shall be undertaken. Towards this end, the State shall establish a Disability Support Fund to 10 augment local government units' assistance for their disability-specific and mainstreamed programs and services, targeting persons with disabilities to support their need to access services and new skills leading to social and economic productivity, and allowing them to gain greater independence and become contributing members in nation-building. In pursuit of these ends, disability support assistance shall be extended to indigent persons with disabilities to cover part of the disability-related extra costs generated by their disability-specific needs and barriers resulting from inaccessibility of facilities and services.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms are

defined, as follows: (a) Disability is an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, referring to the negative aspects of interaction between an individual with health condition and contextual factors; Barriers are anything that hinders persons with disabilities from enjoying or exercising all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field, on an equal basis with others. Barriers in all its forms encompass inaccessible physical environments and transportation; the unavailability of assistive devices and technologies; inaccessible information both in form and content; nonadaptive means of communication; gaps in service delivery such as unavailability of personal assistance and sign language interpretation service; discrimination including denial of reasonable accommodation; attitude, prejudice, and stigma in

society; programs, policies, and laws infringing on the rights of persons with disabilities as recognized under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); (c) Indigent as used in this Act, is a person with disability who has no visible means of income or whose income is insufficient for maintenance medications, treatments, and other disability-related extra costs, as identified based on specific criteria to be formulated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Council of Disability Affairs (NCDA), and representatives from national organizations of persons with disabilities, in accordance with the guiding principles set forth in Section 2; (d) Impairment is the description of body structures that are diminished, weakened, or damaged. Impairments can be divided into primary and secondary: (i) Primary impairments are motor behaviors that are directly related to changes in any system. Examples may include muscle tone, postural stability, motor coordination. Primary impairments are any impairments that are present at birth such as heart defects, endocrine diagnoses, visual impairments; (ii) Secondary impairments develop over time and frequently as a result of the primary impairments. Examples may include decreased range of motion, force production and endurance; (e) Persons with Disability (PWD) include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others; (f) Community Support Systems refers to the combination of services, products, and people that assist persons with disabilities to carry out daily life activities and participate in their communities; (g) Disability and Needs Assessment refers to the process by which disability of an individual is officially recognized for the purpose of eligibility determination to diverse entitlements. It is based on a human rights model

of disability, with a focus on functional limitations, support requirements, and barriers restricting participation. Persons who may fall in this definition are all other persons under the disability assessment and determination system issued by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) which will be developed under this law and shall also be used in the issuance of the persons with disability identification card (ID); (h) Habilitation refers to a process aimed at helping people gain certain new skills, abilities, and knowledge. Habilitation involves learning skills that will enable a person to function in society, which are usually programs that target children born with disabilities; (i) Reasonable Accommodation means the necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments so as not to impose disproportionate or undue burden, and to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy or exercise on an equal basis all human rights and fundamental freedoms; (j) Rehabilitation means restoring capacity and ability, and refers to re-gaining skills, abilities, or knowledge that may have been lost or compromised as a result of acquiring a disability, or due to a change in one's disability or circumstances. This generally applies to an adult who has to re-adapt to society after acquiring a disability; (k) Progressive Realization means undertaking measures to the maximum of its available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, with a view of achieving progressively the full realization of these rights, without prejudice to those obligations contained in the CRPD that are immediately applicable according to international law; (1) Disability-Related Extra Costs are the expenses subjected to a person with disability based on disability-specific needs and barriers resulting from inaccessibility of facilities and services. Refers to the direct (e.g., buying assistive device, paying for personal assistance or sign language interpretation service, extra health care like medicines, more expensive housing or transportation service, etc.) and indirect (e.g., loss productivity because of longer travel time such as experienced by those who need to

travel by wheelchair because they cannot use the cheaper public transport, family members who stop working to provide care and support to persons with disabilities, etc.) costs as a result of their disability that drives persons with disabilities in situation of poverty, exposure to vulnerability of exclusion, or restriction to participation; (m) Children with Disabilities include those individuals under the age of eighteen who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis; 10 (n) Disability-Related Needs include disability-related medical supplies (e.g., medicines, catheters, diapers), medical-related services (e.g., rehabilitation services, etc.), assistive products, personal assistance, sign language interpreter, higher cost of accessing services because of lack of accessibility (e.g., transportation cost), and others; and (0) Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) are led, directed, and governed by persons with disabilities with a clear majority of their membership being recruited among persons with disabilities themselves. Examples of OPDs include national organizations of women with disabilities, impairment-specific organizations such as national organizations of persons of psychosocial disability, parents representing children with disabilities, cross-disability organizations, specific health conditions recognized under the Philippine law such as patients and survivor of cancer, persons with rare diseases, and all other organizations of persons with disabilities as recognized under the CRPD.

SEC. 4. Disability Support Fund. - The Disability Support Fund aims to

address the gaps in the program implementation currently undertaken at the national and at the local level through programs and projects of local government units (LGUs) and civil society organizations (CSOs). LGUs and accredited CSOs will also be assisted through funding to establish responsive services supporting independent living of persons with disabilities. The Disability Support Fund shall provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to avail of disability related services and have access to government

1 assistance and services for all. The Disability Support Fund shall have the following components, such as, but not limited to the following: (a) LGUs establishing a comprehensive Disability Support Services through provincial, city and municipal persons with Disabilities Affairs Office; (b) Development of affordable and accessible Disability Support Services managed by organizations of persons with disabilities; and (c) Individual Support Allowance for qualified persons with disabilities, identified by the National Disability Assessment and Determination System which shall be developed by a Technical Working Group led by the DSWD, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) with diverse representations from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities. This support shall cover expenses related to disability such as, but not limited to, augmentation to transportation services, food and nutrition, disability support services provided by human interventions, maintenance medicines, rehabilitation services, educational needs, such as but not limited to assistive devices, technology and support equipment, pre-employment and during employment services, and access to government assistance and services for all. The Disability Support Fund shall aim to provide a periodic and regular stipend to indigent persons with disabilities based on the eligibility criteria to be formulated by the DSWD, the NCDA, and representatives from national organizations of persons with disabilities. The initial amount of Two Thousand Pesos (P2,000.00) a month per individual beneficiary shall be set for the Disability Support Fund, which will be indexed to inflation and must account for the expenses or costs of services and tools related to disability to preserve its positive impact on the standards of living and participation of people with disabilities. This would contribute, in combination with existing social protection programs and discounts to address the higher cost of transportation, housing, nutrition, hygiene, and 29 temporary human assistance requirements, among others. For working age adults who are out of work, it will provide a basic income security and will help cover disability related costs for finding and keeping work.

The Program shall be implemented in two (2) phases starting with the 2 existing master list of LGUs who already have the ID: 3 (a) Phase 1 - The initial phase of the Disability Support Fund Program, to be implemented in the first three (3) years, shall prioritize provision of stipends to: (i) Children with disabilities; (ii) Adults with moderate and severe disability, who are facing the highest barriers and disability-related costs; and (iii) Persons with disabilities who are recipients of social protection and economic empowerment programs such as but not limited to the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens; (b) Phase 2 - The second phase of the Program, to be implemented in the next three (3) years, shall include all persons with disabilities certified as indigent by the DSWD, based on the eligibility criteria to be formulated under this Act. Provided, That the abovementioned programs and services on counseling, capability-building of social workers, both local and national, and provision of assistive equipment and devices, such as wheelchairs, and prosthetic devices, among others, may be given in addition to the abovementioned Program to indigent persons with disabilities.

SEC. 5. Coverage. - All indigent persons with disabilities, as certified by the

DSWD, based on a human rights approach, shall be covered by the provisions of this Act. Priority shall initially be given to children with disabilities and adults with 23 significant disabilities who are facing the highest barriers and disability-related costs. However, the aim is to eventually cover all registered persons with disabilities who have either no income or have low levels of income as well as persons with disabilities who face disability-related extra costs that deprive them of an adequate standard of living.

SEC. 6. Eligibility. - In determining eligibility to avail of the Disability

Support Fund, the Disability and Needs Assessment System shall be considered, with a focus on functional limitations, support requirements, and barriers to participation.

In recognition of the multiple forms of poverty and the extent of disability- related costs required for basic participation, eligibility of persons with disabilities to avail of the Disability Support Fund will be compatible, insofar as practicable, with eligibility and benefits from different social protection and economic 5 empowerment programs such as, but not limited to, the Social Pension for Indigent 6 Senior Citizens, the Fund acting as a top-up for subsidizing disability-related extra 7 costs. Provided, That the DSWD may, in its discretion, adopt additional bases to 9 achieve the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 7. Role of the Department of Social Welfare and Development

(DSWD). - The DSWD shall be the administrator of the Disability Support Fund. All applications for availing of the Fund shall be lodged with the DSWD. In partnership with the NCDA, organizations of persons with disabilities, all concerned government agencies, local government units thru the PDAO, and non-government organizations shall implement programs and services targeting persons with disabilities. All policies concerning programs and services for persons with disabilities shall be reviewed and enhanced for clarity of operationalization at the local level by the DSWD.

SEC. 8. Disability and Needs Assessment System. - To effectively

implement social protection measures targeting persons with disabilities, a Disability Data Management System shall be created and managed by the DSWD, 23 in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications 24 Technology (DICT), and shall be linked to the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) which aid in the development of poverty-reduction programs from local to the national level. Linkage to the National ID System, and the DOH Persons with Disability Registry, which is mirrored with the PhilHealth Database System, shall also be done to provide real-time disability data and subsidized enrolment to PhilHealth insurance.

SEC. 9. Policy on Disability Identification Cards. - The issuance of

Disability Identification Cards pursuant to Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known 32 as the "Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities," as amended, along with other

1 relevant laws, administrative issuances, and local ordinances, shall incorporate the 2 information necessary for the granting of the periodic and regular Disability 3 Support Fund allocation to eligible persons with disabilities.

SEC. 10. Penal Provisions. - The penalties shall apply to the following:

(a) Any PWD, or his/her parent or his/her relative of any degree of consanguinity or affinity, or any third person found to be deliberately committing any fraudulent act of applying or enrolling a PWD to the benefits of this law when a person is not eligible shall suffer the following: (i) For the first violation, a fine of not less than Twenty-five Thousand Pesos (P25,000) but not exceeding Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000); (ii) For any subsequent violations, a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) but not exceeding One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00); and (b) Any person, natural or juridical, violating any provision of this Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, except violations pertaining to Subsection (a) of this Section, shall be penalized with a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00). If the violator is a corporation, organization or any similar juridical entity, the officials directly involved and responsible shall be liable therefor.

SEC. 11. Monitoring. - The DSWD, in collaboration with representatives of

the Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, is hereby tasked to convene an Inter-Agency Committee to make an annual assessment of the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 12. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation

of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations of the DSWD in 27 the year following its enactment into law and thereafter. The allocated budget shall gradually increase in fulfillment of the progressive realization principle.

SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The rules and

regulations necessary for the effective and efficient enforcement of the provisions of this Act shall be formulated by the DSWD, in consultation with relevant

1 government agencies, LGUs, the private sector, and other stakeholders, and shall 2 be implemented within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act. Unjustified or willful failure or refusal of the concerned government agencies 4 to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) within the specified period shall subject the heads of these government agencies to administrative 6 penalties under applicable civil service laws. Should the IRR contain provisions that are contrary to this Act, the heads of 8 the government agencies responsible for such provision, when done in bad faith 9 or with gross negligence, shall be held administratively liable.

SEC. 14. Report to Congress. - The DSWD shall annually submit a report

to Congress on the status of the implementation of this Act for the purpose of review and recommendation of additional measures necessary for the attainment of the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 15. Suppletory Clause. - The provisions of Republic Act No. 7277,

otherwise known as the "Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities," as amended by Republic Act No. 10754 and Republic Act No. 9442, have suppletory effect to 17 the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is

declared unconstitutional, the remainder hereof or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,

executive order, letter of instruction, rule, or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 18. Effectivity, - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days

following its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,