Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No, 51.59

Introduced by: HON. FRANZ E, ALVAREZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

THE efforts of persons with disability (PWDs) and children with special
needs(CSNs) to live a normal and productive are very commendable and
remarkable.

Despite the condition of persons with disability (PWDs), some of them are
tying hard to earn a decent living by establishing their own smAll business. Even
the parents of children with special needs(CSNs) are giving their begt to earn a
living in their full capacity to fulfill the needs of their child with spegial heeds.

‘To further help self-employed PWDs in their pursuit to be productive
‘izens, and to assist the parents of children with special needs (CSNS), this bill
seeks to give them mandatory membership of the Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (Philhealth).

The government, in turn, would grant them 100 percent subsidy for their
Philhealth monthly contribution for one year upon registration.

‘This way, the welfare and health of PWDs and CSNs are being looked upon
and protected by the government,

In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly encouraged,

FRANZ E. Z


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS.
Second Regular Session

-
House Bill No_ 5 159
Introduced by Honorable Franz E. Alvarez

AN ACT
GIVING MANDATORY PHILHEALTH MEMBERSHIP
TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITY (PWDs)
AND CHILDEN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS(CSNs)

BE it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress
assembled:

Sec. 1. Title: This act shall be known as "Persons With Disability (PWD)
and Children with Special Needs(CSNs) Philhealth Coverage Act of 2014."

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy: It is the policy of the State to give full
support to the improvement of the total well-being of disabled persons and
Children with Special Needs(CSNs) and their integration into the mainstream of
society.

Toward this, the State shall adopt policies ensuring the rehabilitation,
self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and Children with Special
Needs (CSNs).

Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, these terms are
defined as follows:

(a) Disability shall refer to any of the following:
1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or
more psychological, physiological or anatomical function of an
individual or activities of such individual;
2) a record of such and impairment; or

3) being regarded as having such an impairment.

(b) Impairment refers to any loss, diminution or aberration or
psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function;

(©) Handicap refers to a disadvantage of a given individual, resulting from
an impairment or a disability that limits or prevents the functions or


activity that is considered normal given the age and gender of the
individual;

(a) Persons with disabilities (PWD) refer to those suffering from
restrictions or different

abilities as a result of a mental, physical, sensory or neurological
impairment, to perform an activity

in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being;

(¢) Marginalized disadvantaged persons with disabilities refer to disabled
persons who lack

access to rehabilitate services and educational opportunities due to
poverty, abandonment, illness

and other forms of neglect. For purposes of this Act, the word "poor" refers
to persons who have no

means of livelihood or have incomes below poverty threshold as
determined by the National

Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB);

() Children with special needs (CSN) refer to those who are the gifted or
are fast learners; and those who are disabled, impaired and handicapped
and in need of special education as well as services for rehabilitation.
They differ from the average children in mental characteristics, sensory
abilities, neuro-muscular or physical characteristics, social attributes, to
such an extent that requires the use of modified school pri

special education services to develop them to maximum capabi
may be classified as follows:

1. Gifted children and fast leamers are those capable of superior
performance including those with demonstrated achievement or
potential ability in one or more of the following areas: general
intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or
productive thinking ability, leadership ability, ability in the
performing arts and psychomotor ability, or those individuals who
consistently manifest the following cluster of traits: above average
ability (including intelligence), high creativity (implies _ the
developmental appreciation of innovative ideas) and high task
commitment (related to a high degree of motivation) and those who
by reason thereof, require services or activities not ordinarily
provided by the school;

2. Children with mental retardation intellectual disability are those
who have substantial limitation in present functioning
characterized by significant sub-average intellectual functioning,
existing concurrently with the related limitations in two or more of
the applicable adaptive skill areas; communication, self-care, home
living, social skills, community use, self-direction, health and safety,
functional academics, leisure and work;

3. Children with visual impairment are those who are blind or having
a low vision. Persons are blind if they has a visual capacity of


20/200 or less in a better eye after maximum correction. The low
vision persons retain a relatively low degree of vision and can read
only enlarged print or regular print under special conditions;

4, Children with hearing impairment are those who are deaf of hard-
of-hearing. The deaf persons are one whose hearing are non-
functional for ordinary purpose in life, The hard-of-hearing have a
defective sense of hearing that is functional without a hearing aid;

5. Children with behavior problems are those who cannot adjust to
the socially accepted norms or behavior and, consequently disrupt
their academic progress, in the learning efforts of their classmates
and interpersonal relations;

6. Children with orthopedic/physical handicap are those whose
impairment

permanently or temporarily interferes with the normal functions of
the joints, muscles or

limbs;

7. Children with special health problems are those who have health
conditions that tend to keep children out-of-school or those with
chronic and/or debilitating illnesses such as cardiac (heart)
diseases, asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis and other respiratory
ailments, carcenonza, epilepsy, malnutrition and others;

8. Children with learning disabilities are those whose although
normal in sensory, emotional and intellectual abilities exhibit
disorders in perception, listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling
or arithmetic. They have such condition as perceptual handicap,
brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental
aphasia;

9. Children with speech defects are those whose speech differs from
ihe average so far as to draw unfavorable attention to the manner of
speaking rather than to the thought conveyed;

10. Children with autism are those with developmental disabilities,
the onset of which occurs before 30 months of age which is marked
by disturbance in development, language and relationship with
persons, activities and objects and which may coexist with
intellectual disability and epilepsy Children afflicted with this
disorder have perceptual cognitive communication and social
difficulties which change over time.

11. Children with multi-handicaps are those with more than one
disability such as the deaf-blind or those diagnosed with autism and
intellectual disability.

Sec. 4. Mandatory Philhealth Membership for PWDs and CSNs. To
further help self-employed PWDs in their pursuit to become productive citizens,


and to assist the parents of children with special needs (CSNs), they shall be
afforded mandatory membership of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
(Philhealth) subject to the guidelines to be implemented by the Department of
Social Work and Development in conjunction with the Department of Health.

Sec. 5. The Office for Persons with Disabilities - There shall be
established in the Office of the Mayor an Office for Persons with Disabilities
to be headed by a Councilor who shall be designated by the Sangguniang
Bayan and assisted by the Community Development Officer in coordination
with the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The functions of
this office are:

a) To plan, implement and monitor yearly work programs
in pursuance of the objectives of this Act;

b) To draw up a list of available and required services
which can be provided to Persons with Disabilities;

c) To maintain and regularly update on a quarterly basis
the list of Persons with Disabilities and to

nationally uniform individual identification card:
which shall be valid anywhere in the country;

d) To serve as a general information and liaison center to
serve the needs of the Persons with Disabilities.

Sec. 5. Appropriations: The amount needed for the implementation of
is Act shall be taken from the annual general appropriations of the Department
of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Sec. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations: The Secretary of the
Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation,
within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, shall issue the necessary
rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

Sec. 7. Separability Clause: The declaration of unconstitutionally or
invalidity of any provisions of this Act shall not affect the other provisions.

Sec. 8. Repealing Clause: Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation
contrary to or is inconsistent with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed,
modified, or amended accordingly.

Sec. 9. Effectivity: This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days
following its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,