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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _________ 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Reps.  Alfelito “Alfel” M. Bascug, Ysabel Maria J. Zamora and Laarni 
Lavin Roque 
“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 
The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines mandates the State to promote social 
justice in all phases of national development and to value the dignity of every human person 
and guarantee full respect for human rights. Furthermore, the Philippines is a State Party to the 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which 
obligates State Parties to ensure and promote the full realization of all human rights and 
fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities without discrimination of any kind. 
Despite existing laws such as Republic Act No. 7277, or the “Magna Carta for Persons 
with Disabilities”, and its subsequent amendments under R.A. Nos. 9442 and 10754, persons 
with disabilities (PWDs) continue to face persistent barriers to full and effective participation 
in society. These include limited access to inclusive services, inadequate social protection 
mechanisms, and the burden of additional disability-related costs that remain unaddressed by 
current programs. 
Disability is not merely a medical condition but a social phenomenon resulting from 
the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers. 
A rights-based and needs-based approach to disability necessitates the dismantling of these 
barriers and the implementation of targeted support systems that affirm the autonomy, agency, 
and dignity of persons with disabilities. 
August 13, 2025
1:16 pm
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This proposed measure seeks to establish the Disability Support Fund (DSF)—a 
dedicated, sustainable mechanism to promote inclusive development by enabling persons with 
disabilities to live independently, access essential services, and actively contribute to national 
life. The DSF shall provide direct support to PWDs in the form of an Individual Support 
Allowance and fund programs led by local government units and organizations of persons with 
disabilities to build inclusive, community-based services. 
Recognizing that persons with disabilities incur extra costs—such as for mobility, 
personal assistance, sign language services, assistive devices, healthcare, and transportation—
the DSF is designed to alleviate financial burdens and enable fuller participation in education, 
employment, and community life. The allowance of Php 2,000 per month, subject to inflation 
adjustments, shall provide a foundational layer of income security, especially for those most 
marginalized such as children with disabilities and adults with moderate to severe impairments. 
The bill likewise mandates the creation of a Disability and Needs Assessment System 
(DNAS) to ensure that eligibility criteria are guided by a functional assessment of support 
needs rather than a purely medical diagnosis. It also strengthens inter-agency collaboration 
through the leadership of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 
administering the Fund, in close partnership with the National Council on Disability Affairs 
(NCDA), local government units, and civil society. 
Moreover, the proposed measure provides for an integrated disability data system and 
harmonized protocols for issuing PWD identification cards to ensure transparency, real-time 
verification, and effective targeting. To preserve the integrity of the DSF, it outlines clear penal 
provisions for fraud and misuse. 
Ultimately, this measure is not only an economic investment but a profound moral and 
social commitment to equity and justice. It ensures that no Filipino is left behind due to 
disability and affirms that support is not charity—but a matter of rights. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
REP. ALFELITO “ALFEL” M. BASCUG 
REP. YSABEL MARIA J. ZAMORA 
      Agusan Del Sur, First (1st) District 
         San Juan City, Lone District 
REP. LAARNI LAVIN ROQUE 
Bukidnon, Fourth (4th) District 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO._________ 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Reps. Alfelito “Alfel” M. Bascug, Ysabel Maria J. Zamora and Laarni 
Lavin Roque 
“AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING THE UNIVERSAL 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 shall be known as the "Universal Disability Support Fund 
Act" 
Sec. 2. Declaration of State Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to uphold, 
protect, and fulfill the rights and dignity of all persons with disabilities, in accordance with the 
Constitution, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities (Republic Act No. 7277, as 
amended), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 
(UNCRPD), to which the Philippines is a State Party. The State affirms that persons with 
disabilities are entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental 
freedoms, and acknowledges the need to take appropriate and effective measures to promote 
their empowerment, full participation, and inclusion in all aspects of life 
The State affirms that disability arises from the interaction between persons with 
impairments and societal barriers that prevent full participation. In line with its commitment to 
inclusive development, the State shall ensure that persons with disabilities have equitable 
access to essential services such as habilitation, rehabilitation, assistive devices, personal 
support, and community-based programs that enable independent living and meaningful 
participation in all aspects of life. 
To address historical and systemic exclusion, the State shall dismantle physical, attitudinal, 
and institutional barriers and uphold the principles of equity, accessibility, and non-
discrimination in the delivery of public services. Recognizing that persons with disabilities face 
additional costs due to their impairments and the inaccessibility of services, the State shall 
implement responsive social protection and economic policies to help reduce these 
disadvantages. 
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A rights-based and needs-based approach shall guide all disability support programs, 
particularly for persons with disabilities and those facing the greatest barriers. For this purpose, 
the Universal Disability Support Fund (UDSF) shall be established as a mechanism to enhance 
local and national capacity in providing inclusive, accessible, and sustainable services. This 
Fund will play a vital role in reducing poverty, promoting self-reliance, and enabling persons 
with disabilities to actively contribute to national development. 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act: 
a. Barriers refers to 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 UNCPRD;  
b. Children with Disabilities refers to individuals under the age of eighteen (18) 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; 
c. Disability refers to 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; 
d. 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 disabilities Identification Cards 
(ID’s); 
e. Disability-related extra costs refer to 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 interpretation service, or 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 


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who uses wheelchair 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; 
f. 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;  
g. Impairment is the description of body structures that are diminished, weakened or 
damaged. Impairments can be divided into primary and secondary:  
1. Primary impairments are motor behaviors that are directly related to 
changes in any system. Examples: muscle tone, postural stability, motor 
coordination. Primary impairments are any impairments that are present 
at birth such as heart defects, endocrine diagnoses, visual impairments; 
2. Secondary impairments develop over time and frequently as a result of 
the primary impairments. Examples: Decreased range of motion, force 
production and endurance;  
h. Persons with Disabilities refers to 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;  
i. Reasonable Accommodation refers to 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; and 
j. 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 re-adapt to society after acquiring a 
disability. 
Sec. 4. Universal Disability Support Fund (UDSF). - The UDSF aims to address the gaps 
in the program implementation currently undertaken at the national and at the local level 
through programs and projects of the local government and civil society organizations. LGU’s 
and accredited non-government organizations will also be assisted through funding to establish 
responsive services supporting independent living of persons with disabilities.  
The UDSF shall provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to avail of disability 
related services and have access to government assistance and services for all. The UDSF shall 
have the following components, such as, but not limited to the following:  
a. LGU’s Establishing a Comprehensive Universal Disability Support Services 
(UDSS) through Provincial, City and Municipal PDAO’s;  


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b. Development of affordable and accessible UDSS managed by organizations of 
persons with disabilities; and  
c. Support Allowance for persons with disabilities, identified by the National 
Disability Assessment and Determination System (NDADS) which shall be 
developed by a Technical Working Group led by the Department of Social and 
Welfare Development (DSWD), National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), 
LGUs, Department of Finance (DOF), 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 UDSF shall aim to provide a regular stipend to persons with disabilities. The initial 
amount of Two Thousand Pesos (Php 2,000.00) a month per individual beneficiary is set for 
the UDSF, 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 UDSF Program, to be implemented in the first 
three (3) years, shall prioritize provision of stipends to:  
1. Children with disabilities; and 
2. Adults with moderate and severe disability, 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.  
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 persons 
with disabilities.  


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Sec. 5. Coverage. - All persons with disabilities, 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.  
Sec. 6. Eligibility. - In determining eligibility to avail of the UDSF, the Disability and Needs 
Assessment System (DNAS) 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 UDSF 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 UDSF 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. Role of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. - The DSWD shall be 
the administrator of the UDSF. All applications for availing of the UDSF shall be lodged with 
the DSWD. In partnership with the NCDA, all concerned government agencies, LGUs 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 
(DDMS) shall be created and managed by the DSWD. This shall be linked to the Community-
Based Monitoring System (CBMS), the National ID System, and the NCDA Secretariat’s 
Philippine Registry for Persons with Disabilities (PRPWD), which is mirrored with the 
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Database System shall also be done to 
provide real-time disability data and subsidized enrolment to PhilHealth insurance, in 
coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). 
    Sec. 9. Policy on Disability Identification Cards. - The issuance of Persons with Disabilities 
Identification Cards pursuant to Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the "Magna 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 UDSF allocation to persons with disabilities.  
    Sec. 10. Penal Provisions. — The penalties shall apply to the following: 
(a). Persons with Disabilities, or their parent or relative of any degree of 
consanguinity or affinity, or any third person found to be deliberately committing 


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any fraudulent act of enrolling persons with disabilities to the PRPWD when such 
persons are not eligible, shall suffer the following:  
1. 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); 
2. 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); and  
3. 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 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.  
Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within one hundred and twenty (120) 
days from the affectivity of this Act, the DSWD and the NCDA, in consultation with the DILG, 
DOH, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), National Anti-Poverty Council (NAPC) – Persons 
with Disabilities Sector, 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. 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. Separability Clause. — If any portion or provision of this Act is held 
unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be 
in full force and effect. 
Sec. 17. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, proclamations, rules, regulations 
and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 


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Sec. 18. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,