EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2437
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HONT
RECEIVED
FILED
October
NOEX
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE UNIVERSAL DISABILITY SUPPORT ALLOWANCE FOR 
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
According to the 2016 National Disability Prevalence Survey, persons with 
disabilities represent at least 12% of the Philippine adult population. The same study also 
shows that at 60%, more women than men experience severe disability. In general, 
persons with disabilities are confronted with challenges in accessing education and 
healthcare, in hilly enjoying their right to citizenship, and exploring economic 
opportunib’es. As a result, many of them do not get past primary education, and are more 
likely to live in poverty as half of them are unemployed, and of those who are, are likely 
to be employed in the informal sector. Access to the healthcare they need is also a 
significant obstacle they have to confront Stigma, poor access to their physical 
environment, transportation, information and communication, the lack of inclusive 
polities, support services and social protection also count among the baniers they 
regularly face.
Trying to overcome these barriers entail extra costs to persons with disabilities and 
their families. Some of these additional costs are for private transportation, support for 
information and communication, assistive devices, and human assistance. For those who 
require personal assistance, the lack of institutional support either limit their mobility and 
access to services or they have to rely on family members who, in many cases are 
constrained to stop working to provide the necessary help. Faced with discrimination in 
education and In the labor market persons, with disabilities tend to work less, and 
consequently, earn less. With less Income and with added disability-related expenses, 
many are trapped in a cycle of poverty and exposes them to increased vulnerabilities in 
various aspects of their lives.
The Covid-19 pandemic further exposed weaknesses in our social protection 
systems as it heightened the vulnerabilities of marginalized sectors including persons with 
disabilities. The different variations of community lockdown that brought our economy to 
a slowdown severely limited their income opportunities, most especially because many of 
them belong to the informal economy. What was already previously difficult to access, 
such as transportation and other social services became twice as hard to obtain for them.


In order to address critical issues persons with disabilities are fadng, and to 
complement existing polides and programs, a universal disability support allowance is 
essential. A two thousand peso-monthly (Php 2,000) disability support allowance will be 
able to supplement the basic income of households with persons with disabilities. The bill 
seeks to establish the Disability Support Allowance Program under the Department of 
Social Welfare and Development. The program shall be implemented in three (3) phases, 
with the Rrst Phase giving priority to children and adults with disabiliUes encountering 
the most severe barriers and disability-related costs. Phase Two shall include those who 
have either no income or low level of Income, and Phase Three shall begin to 
progressively indude all persons with disabilib’es.
In view of the foregoing, the early passage of this bill is earnestly sought
buztwc&d>0(jol^
RISA HONTIVEROS 
0
Senator


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHIUPPINES 
)
Third Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2437
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INTRODUCED BY SENATOR RISA HO
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time:
BILUG
NDEX
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE UNIVERSAL DISABILITY SUPPORT ALLOWANCE FOR 
PERSONS WITH DISABIUnES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be It enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
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Sec. 1. Short Tide. -This Act shall be known as the "Disability Support Allowance
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for Persons with Disabilities Act".
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to adopt the
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generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land. It is
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likewise vital that the State advance social justice in order to end poverty in all its forms,
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particularly the historical deprivation of the support required by persons with disabilities
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for their effective inclusion and full participation in society.
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To attain a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence
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of the nation and free the people form poverty through policies that provide adequate
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social services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved
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quality of life for all, appropriate measures in developing social protection programs and
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allowances that recognize the additional costs associated with disability shall be
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undertaken.
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In pursuance to this end, social protection measures such as the grant of disability
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support allowance shall be extended to persons with disabilities to support their
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independent living.
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purposes of this Act, these terms are defined
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as follows:
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a) Persons with Disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental,
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intellectual, or sensory Impairments which in interaction with various
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barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an


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equal basis with others, Persons who may fall in this definition -are but not 
limited to- the following; persons with psychosocial disability, person with 
autism, person with down syndrome, persons who are blind, person with 
low vision, person with hard of hearing, deaf, person with rare diseases, 
and all other persons who will bo certified under the disability assessment 
and determination system;
b) Disability is an evolving concept that results from the interacUon betv/een 
persons with Impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that 
hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with 
others;
c) 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 filed, 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; non- 
adapted 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 the rights of persons with disabilities as recognized under the 
Conventi’on on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
d) Reasonable accommodation means necessary and appropriate modification 
and adjustments so as not to impose disproportionate or undue burden, 
and to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy or exertise on an equal 
basis all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
e) 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 convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that are 
Immediately applicable according to International law;
0 Disability Assessment and Determination means 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


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of disability, with a focus on functional limitations, support requirements
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and barriers restricting participation,
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Sec. 4. Coverage. - All persons with dlsabllllles, as certified under the Disability
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assessment and determination system that Is based on a human rights approach shall be
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covered by the provisions of this Act. In line with the progressive realization principle, the
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priority will initially be given to children with disabilities and adults v/ith significant
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disabilities who are facing the highest barriers and disability related costs. Hov/ever, the
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aim is to eventually cover all registered persons with disabilities who have cither no
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income or low level of income and as well as persons with disabilities who face disability-
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related extra costs which negatively affect adequate standard of living.
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Sec. 5. Disability Support Allowance Program. - There shall be established a
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Disability Support Allowance Program under the Department of Social Welfare and
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Development (DSWD), in consultation with the National|Gouncil on Disability Affairs and
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a representative organization of persons with disabilitl;^, designed to serve as a social
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protection measure and support the needs of persons w;ith disabilities in their integration
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to society. The Disability Support Allowance Program shall aim to provide regular stipend
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to persons with disabilities based on the eligibility criteria of the DSWD.
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The initial amount of Two Thousand Pesos (Php2,000.00) a month per individual
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beneficiary is set for the disability support allowance, which will be indexed to inflation
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to preserve its impact on the standards of living and participation of people with
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disabilities. This would contribute, in combination to existing social protection programs
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and discounts to address the higher cost of transportation, housing,
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nutrition, hygiene and temporary human assistance requirements, among others. For
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working age adults out of work, it will provide a basic income security and will help
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cover disability related costs for finding and keeping work.
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The Program shall be implemented In three (3) phases;
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a) Phase 1 - The Initial phase of the Disability Support Allowance Program,
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to be implemented within three (3) years, shall prioritize provision of
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stipends to:
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I. Children with disabilities;
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il. Adults with significant disabilities who are facing the highest
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barriers and disability-related costs;
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iii. Persons with disabilities who are recipients of social protection
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and economic empowerment programs such as but not limited to
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the Pantawid Pamilya Piliplno Program (4Ps) and Social Pension for
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Indigent Senior Qtizens.


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b) Phase 2 - The second phase of the Program, to be implemented In the
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next three (3) years, shall Include all registered persons with disabilities
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who have either no income or low level of Income and as well as persons
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with disabilities who face disability-related extra costs which negatively
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affects adequate standard of living.
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c) Phase 3 - The third phase of the Program, to be implemented after six
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(6) years from the beginning of the implementation, shall endeavor to
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progressively cover all persons with disabilities.
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Sec. 6. Eligibility. - Eligibility to the disability support allowance will be based
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solely on disability assessment and determination with a focus on functional limitation,
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support requirements, and barriers to participation, irrespective of income, work status
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or access to other social protection benefits.
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In recognition of the multiple forms of poverty and the extent of disability-reiated costs
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required for basic participation, eligibility of persons with disabilities to the disability
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support allowance will be compatible with eligibility and benefits from different sodal
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protection and economic empowerment programs such as but not limited to the
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Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Social Pension for Indigent Senior Otizens,
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the disability allowance acting as a top-up for subsidizing disability-related extra costs.
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Provided, That the DSWD, in consultation with the NCDA, may, in its discretion, adopt
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additional bases to achieve the objectives of this Act.
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Sec. 7. Disability Data Management System.-lo effectively implement social
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protection measures targeting persons with disabilities, a Disability Data Management
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System shall be put up and shall be linked to the Community-Based Management System
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(CBMS) which aid in the development of poverty-reduction programs from local to
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national level. Linkage to the National ID System, and the DOH Persons with Disability
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Registry, which is mirrored with the PhilHealth Database System shall also be done to
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provide real-time disability data and subsidized enrolment to PhilHealth insurance.
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Sec. 8. Policy on Disability Identification Cards. - The issuance of Disability
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Identification Cards pursuant to Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the
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"Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities," as amended, along with other relevant laws,
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administrative issuances and local ordinances, shall Incorporate the
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information necessary for the granting of the monthly disability support allowance to
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eligible persons with disabilities.
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Sec. 9. Pena!Provisions. - The penalties shall apply to the following:


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a) Any person who through fraud or misrepresentation applies- for, or aids 
in the application for benefits under this law without being a qualified 
person with disability entitled thereto shall suffer the following penalties:
I. For the first violation, a fine of not less than Twenty-five thousand 
pesos (Php 25,000.00) but not exceeding Fifty thousand pesos (Php 
50,000.00); and
ii. For any subsequent violaUon, a fine of not less than Rfty thousand 
pesos (Php 50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred thousand 
pesos (Php 100,000.00).
b) Any person 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 Rfty Thousand Pesos 
(Php 50,000.00) but not exceeding One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 
100,000.00).
Sec. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementah’on of the 
Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations of the year following its 
enactment into law and thereafter. The initial amount of which shall be determined by 
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Council of 
Disability Affairs (NCDA), and representatives from other major stakeholders including 
organizations of persons with disabilities. The allocated budget for the first year of its 
operation shall gradually increase in view of progressive realization.
Sec. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within one hundred and twenty 
(120) days from the affectivity of this Act, the Department of Social Welfare and 
Development, in consultation with the National Council on Disability Affairs, Department 
of Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority, 
Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, and other relevant stakeholders from 
government agencies and non-government organizations, shall issue the. necessary 
rules and regulations to Implement the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 12. Report to Congress. - The Department of Social Welfare and 
Development and National Council on Disability Affairs shall annually submit a report to 
Congress about 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. 13. Separability Qause. - If, for any reason, any provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional or invalid, parts or provisions of this Act which are not affected 
shall continue to be in full force and effect.


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Sec. 14, Non-Impairment Oause. — Nothing in this Act shall be construed as to 
diminish, impair, or repeal rights recognized, granted, or made available to 
disadvantaged, marginalized, or specific sectors under existing laws.
Sec. 15. Repealing Oause, — All laws, execuUve orders, presidential decrees. 
Implementing Rules and Regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly.
Sec. 16. Effectrvity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,