TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 15 P3 :20
SENATE^
S.B. No. 654
RtiCElV
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPPORT FUND FOR THE EMPOWERMENT, 
FULL PARTICIPATION, AND INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 
IN SOCIETY, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that, "The State shall 
adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall 
endeavor to make essential goods, health, and other social services available to all the 
people at affordable cost. There shall be special priority for the needs of the 
underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children."
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional 
Protocol defines persons with disabilities to "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". 
Persons with Disabilities face various forms of barriers that hinder their development 
and full and effective participation in education, employment, socioeconomic 
participation in society on an equal basis with others. These barriers include the lack of 
physical accessibility in public schools and training facilities, government offices and 
public transportation, and lack of disability-support services such as assistive devices 
and technology, live assistance including sign language interpreters for deaf and 
readers for blind people. Thus, providing assistance to them is crucial in promoting 
their independence, social inclusion, and overall well-being. It enables them to 
participate fully in society, access opportunities, and live with dignity.
The World Health Organization estimates that about 16% of the world's 
population has a disability. According to the National Council for Disability Affairs 
(NCDA), there are more than 2.5 million Filipinos who are registered as persons with 
disabilities (PWDs) as of January 2025. The number of registered PWDs in the country 
grew by 35% from over 1.8 million in June 2024. The majority, or 827,189, have
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physical disabilities that limit the function of their limbs or fine or gross motor abilities. 
Others, however, suffer from invisible disabilities.
Access by persons with disabilities to government services particularly at the 
local government unit is a huge challenge because of budget constraints. Consequently, 
many persons with disabilities are left behind in development efforts of the government.
Thus, the bill seeks to establish a Disability Support Program to cover all 
registered persons with disabilities who have either no income or have low levels of 
income and as well as persons with disabilities who face disability-related extra costs 
which deprive them of adequate standard of living. Furthermore, the bill seeks to 
provide a regular stipend to PWDs to be able to supplement their basic household 
incomes.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
"rrMErSrMARCOS f


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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 15 P3 20
RECEIV,
SENATE
S.B. No. 654
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPPORT FUND FOR THE EMPOWERMENT, 
FULL PARTICIPATION, AND INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 
IN SOCIETY, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This shall be known as the "Disability Support Fund
Act.-
SEC. 2. Declaration of State Policy. - The Philippines, as a State Party to the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 
recognizes all the rights of persons with disabilities and shall take effective and 
appropriate measures to respect, protect, and fulfill the full enjoyment by persons with 
disabilities of these rights such as, but not limited to, access to habilitation 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 
advance social Justice in order to end poverty in all its forms, particularly the historical 
deprivation of the support required by persons with disabilities 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 of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that 
provide adequate social services, promote full employment, raises the standard of 
living, and improve the quality of life, appropriate measures in developing social 
protection programs and allowances that recognize the additional costs associated with 
disability shall be undertaken.
Towards this end, the State shall establish a Disability Support Fund to 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. -
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.
b) 
"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; non- 
adaptive 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;
c) 
"Indigent" - as used in this Act, is a person with disability whose income 
is insufficient for maintenance medications, treatments, and other


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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) 
"Persons with Disability" 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.
e) 
"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 
ID.
f) 
"Rehabilitation" 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. Rehabilitation means 
restoring capacity and ability. This generally applies to an adult who has 
to readapt to society after acquiring disability.
g) 
"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. These kinds of programs usually 
target children born with disabilities.
h) 
"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.
i) 
"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 or paying for personal assistance or sign language


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interpretation service, or extra health care like medicines, more expensive
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housing or transportation sen/ice, etc.) and indirect (e.g. loss productivity
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because of longer travel time such as experienced by those who uses
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wheelchair who need to travel by wheelchair because they cannot use the
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cheaper public transport, family members who stop working to provide
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care and support to persons with disabilities, etc.) costs as a result of their
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disability that drives persons with disabilities in situation of poverty,
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exposure to vulnerability of exclusion or restriction to participation."
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j) "Children with Disabilities" include those individuals under the age of
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eighteen (18) who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory
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impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their
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full and effective participation in society on an equal basis".
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SEC. 4. Disability Support Fund. - The Disability Support Fund aims to address
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the gaps in the program implementation currently undertaken at the national and at
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the local level through programs and projects of the local government and civil society
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organizations. Local government units and accredited non-government organizations
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will also be assisted through funding to establish responsive services supporting
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independent living of persons with disabilities.
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The Disability Support Fund shall provide individuals with disabilities the
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opportunity to avail of disability related services and have access to government
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assistance and services for all. The Disability Support Fund shall have the following
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components, such as, but not limited to the following:
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1. Local Government Unit Establishing a Comprehensive Disability Support
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Services through Provincial, 
City and Municipal Persons with Disabilities
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Affairs Office.
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2. Development of affordable and accessible Disability Support Services
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managed by organizations of persons with disabilities.
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3. Individual Support Allowance for qualified persons with disabilities, identified
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by the National Disability Assessment and Determination System which shall
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be developed by a Technical Working Group led by the DSWD, DOFl, DEPED
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and the DOLE with diverse representations from Organizations of Persons
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with Disabilities.
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This support shall cover expenses related to disability such as, but not limited to,
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augmentation to transportation services, food and nutrition, disability support services
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provided by human interventions, maintenance medicines, rehabilitation services,
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educational needs, such as but not limited to assistive devices, technology and support


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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 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 Five Hundred Pesos (Php 500.00) a month per individual 
beneficiary is set for the Disability Support Fund, which will be indexed to inflation 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 temporary human assistance requirements, among others. For working 
age adults 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 existing 
master list of LGUs who already have the ID:
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 persons 
with severe disabilities, who are facing the highest barriers and disability-related costs;
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 counselling, 
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 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 and as well as persons with 
disabilities who face disability-related extra costs which deprive them of an adequate 
standard of living.


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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 limitation, 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 empowerment programs such 
as, but not limited to, the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, the Fund acting 
as a top-up for subsidizing disability-related extra costs.
Provided, That the DSWD may, in its discretion, adopt additional bases to achieve 
the objectives of this Act.
SEC. 7. Roie 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, in coordination with 
the Department of Information and Communications 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 as the "Magna


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Carta for Persons with Disabilities," as amended, along with other relevant laws, 
administrative issuances and local ordinances, shall incorporate the information 
necessary for the granting of the monthly Disability Support Fund allocation to eligible 
persons with disabilities.
SEC. 10. Pena!Provisions. — The penalties shall apply to the following:
a. Any Person with Disability, 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 enrolling a Person With Disability 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 (Php 
25,000) but not exceeding Fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000); and
ii. For any subsequent violations, a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos 
(Php 50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos (Php 100,000.00).
iii. For a third and fourth violation, a revocation of any license or business permit.
b. Any person, natural or juridical, violating any provision of this Act and its IRR, 
except violations pertaining to Subsection a of this Section, shall be penalized with a 
fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00) but not exceeding One 
hundred thousand pesos (Php 100,000.00). 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 the year 
following its enactment into law and thereafter. The allocated budget shall gradually 
increase in fulfillment of the progressive realization principle.
SEC. 13. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - Within one hundred and 
twenty (120) days from the affectivity of this Act, the DSWD, in consultation with the 
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), 
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), NCDA, National Anti-Poverty Council (NAPC), 
representative/s from registered 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.


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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 the 
provisions of this Act.
SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to 
or inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended 
accordingly.
SEC. 17. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and in effect.
SEC. 18. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,