TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
354
S. No.
'f I O’ oft:?! #;
lb JULIO P1-57
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPORT FUND FOR THE EMPOWERMENT, 
FULL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES 
IN SOCIETY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines is a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which upholds the inherent dignity, individual 
autonomy, and full and effective participation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in all 
aspects of life. In alignment with this global commitment, it is the duty of the State to 
provide meaningful support to ensure their inclusion and empowerment.
While there are existing laws such as the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities 
(RA 7277) and its amendments, these have not been sufficient in addressing the daily 
realities and barriers faced by PWDs, especially in low-income and underserved areas. 
Many PWDs continue to face systemic discrimination, limited mobility, inadequate 
access to rehabilitation and assistive technologies, and a lack of income support. All 
of these hinder their full integration into society.
This bill seeks to establish a Disability Support Fund (DSF) to directly address these 
long-standing gaps. The fund aims to provide regular financial stipends to eligible 
persons with disabilities, initially prioritizing children and adults with moderate to 
severe disabilities, and later expanding to all registered PWDs with low income or


significant disability-related costs. The allowance, initially set at Php 2,000 per month, 
is designed to supplement existing government benefits and defray the higher costs 
associated with disability, including healthcare, transportation, and human assistance 
needs.
The proposed DSF adopts a phased implementation approach and leverages inter­
agency coordination through the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), the 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and local government units. 
It also emphasizes data-driven planning through a robust Disability Data Management 
System and institutional coordination with the Community-Based Monitoring System 
(CBMS) and PhilHealth Registry.
More than a social protection initiative, this measure affirms the right of all persons 
with disabilities to live independently and be fully included in their communities. It 
recognizes disability not as a limitation, but as a social responsibility shared by all.
In pursuit of a truly inclusive society, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.
RONALD
ELA ROSA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
)
SENATE
S. No. 354
: 
sei’iiaii?
of l.Jf I ••
25 JULIO PIS?
RECEIVED BY:
Introduced by Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE DISABILITY SUPORT 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 the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. - This shall be known as the "Disability Support Fund
2 
Act".
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The Philippines, as a State Party to the United
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Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), recognizes
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all the rights of persons with disabilities and shall take effective and appropriate
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measures to respect, protect, and fulfill the full enjoyment by persons with disabilities
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of these rights such as, but not limited to, access to habilitation and rehabilitation
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services, participation in socio-economic activities, access to a range of in8 home,
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residential and other community support services, including personal assistance,
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learning and assistive devices, and technology necessary to support living
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independently and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation or segregation
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from the community.
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It is the declared policy of the State to adopt the generally-accepted principles
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of international law as part of the law of the land. It is likewise vital that the State
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advance social justice in order to end poverty in all its forms, particularly the historical


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deprivation of the support required by persons with disabilities for their effective
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inclusion and full participation in society.
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To attain a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity and
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independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that
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provide adequate social services, promote full employment, raises the standard of
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living, and improve the quality of life, appropriate measures in developing social
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protection programs and allowances that recognize the additional costs associated
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with disability shall be undertaken.
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Towards this end, the State shall establish a Disability Support Fund to augment
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local government units' assistance for their disability-specific and mainstreamed
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programs and services, targeting persons with disabilities to support their need to
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access services and new skills, leading to social and economic productivity and
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allowing them to gain greater independence and become contributing members in
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nation-building.
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In pursuit of these ends, disability support assistance shall be extended to
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indigent persons with disabilities to cover part of the disability-related extra costs
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generated by their disability-specific needs and barriers resulting from inaccessibility
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of facilities and services.
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. -
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a) "Disability" is an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and
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participation restrictions, referring to the negative aspects of interaction
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between an individual with health condition and contextual factors.
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b) "Barriers" are anything that hinders persons with disabilities from enjoying
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or exercising all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
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economic, social, cultural, civil, or any other field, on an equal basis with
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others. Barriers in all its forms encompass inaccessible physical
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environments and transportation; the unavailability of assistive devices and
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technologies; inaccessible information both in form and content;
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nonadaptive means of communication; gaps in service delivery such as


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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 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 
nationai 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:
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;
e) "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;


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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 ID;
h) "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;
i) "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;
j) "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;


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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 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that are 
immediately applicable according to international law;
l) "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 
interpretation service, or extra health care like medicines, more expensive 
housing or transportation service, etc.) and indirect (e.g., loss of 
productivity because of longer travel time as experienced by those who 
need to move by wheelchair as 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 (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";
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


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o) "Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) are led, directed and
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governed by persons with disabilities with a clear majority of their
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membership being recruited among persons with disabilities themselves.
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Examples of OPDs include national organizations of women with disabilities,
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impairment-specific organizations such as national organizations of persons
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of psychosocial disability, parents representing children with disabilities,
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cross-disability organizations, specific health conditions recognized under
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the Philippine law such as patients and survivor of cancer, persons with rare
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diseases, and all other organizations of persons with disabilities as
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recognized under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."
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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 Affairs
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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; and
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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 be
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developed by a Technical Working Group led by the DSWD, DOFI, DEPED, and
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the DOLE with diverse representations from Organizations of Persons with
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Disabilities.


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This support shall cover expenses related to disability such as, but not limited
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to, augmentation of transportation services, food and nutrition, disability support
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services provided by human interventions, maintenance medicines, rehabilitation
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services, educational needs, such as but not limited to assistive devices, technology
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and support equipment, pre-employment and during employment services and access
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to government assistance and services for all.
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The Disability Support Fund shall aim to provide a regular stipend to indigent
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persons with disabilities based on the eligibility criteria to be formulated by the DSWD,
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the NCDA and representatives from national organizations of persons with disabilities.
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The initial amount of Two Thousand Pesos (Php 2,000.00) a month per individual
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beneficiary is set for the Disability Support Fund, which will be indexed to inflation to
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preserve its positive impact on the standards of living and participation of people with
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disabilities. This would contribute, in combination with existing social protection
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programs 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 two (2) phases starting with the existing
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master list of LGUs who already have the ID:
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a) Phase 1 - The initial phase of the Disability Support Fund Program, to be
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implemented in the first three (3) years, shall prioritize provision of stipends to:
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i. Children with disabilities;
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ii. Adults with moderate and severe disability, who are facing the highest
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barriers and disability-related costs; and
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iil. Persons with disabilities who are recipients of social protection and
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economic empowerment programs such as but not limited to the Social
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Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens.


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b) Phase 2 - The second phase of the Program, to be implemented in the next
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three (3) years, shall include all persons with disabilities certified as indigent by the
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DSWD, based on the eligibility criteria to be formulated under this Act.
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Provided, That the abovementioned programs and services on counseling,
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capability-building of social workers, both local and national, and provision of assistive
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equipment and devices, such as wheelchairs, and prosthetic devices, among others,
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may be given in addition to the abovementioned Program to indigent persons with
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disabilities.
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Sec. 5. Coverage. - All indigent persons with disabilities, as certified by the
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DSWD, based on a human rights approach, shall be covered by the provisions of this
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Act. Priority shall initially be given to children with disabilities and adults with
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significant disabilities who are facing the highest barriers and disability-related costs.
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However, the aim is to eventually cover all registered persons with disabilities
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who have either no income or have low levels of income as well as persons with
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disabilities who face disability-related extra costs that deprive them of an adequate
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standard of living.
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Sec. 6. Eligibility. - In determining eligibility to avail of the Disability Support
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Fund, the Disability and Needs Assessment System shall be considered, with a focus
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on functional limitations, support requirements, and barriers to participation.
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In recognition of the multiple forms of poverty and the extent of disability-
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related costs required for basic participation, eligibility of persons with disabilities to
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avail of the Disability Support Fund will be compatible, insofar as practicable, with
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eligibility and benefits from different social protection and economic empowerment
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programs such as, but not limited to, the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens,
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the Fund acting as a top-up for subsidizing disability-related extra costs.
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Provided, That the DSWD may, in its discretion, adopt additional bases to
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achieve the objectives of this Act.
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Sec. 7. Pole of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). -
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The DSWD shall be the administrator of the Disability Support Fund. All applications


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for availing of the Fund shall be lodged with the DSWD. In partnership with the NCDA,
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organizations of persons with disabilities, all concerned government agencies, local
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government units thru the PDAO, and non-government organizations shall implement
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programs and services targeting persons with disabilities.
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All policies concerning programs and services for persons with disabilities shall
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be reviewed and enhanced for clarity of operationalization at the local level by the
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DSWD.
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Sec. 8. Disability and Needs Assessment System. - To effectively implement
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social protection measures targeting persons with disabilities, a Disability Data
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Management System shall be created and managed by the DSWD, in coordination
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with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and
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shall be linked to the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) which aid in the
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development of poverty-reduction programs from local to the national level. Linkage
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to the National ID System, and the DOH Persons with Disability Registry, which is
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mirrored with the PhilHealth Database System shall also be done to provide real-time
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disability data and subsidized enrolment to PhilHealth insurance.
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Sec. 9. 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
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laws, administrative issuances and local ordinances, shall incorporate the information
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necessary for the granting of the monthly Disability Support Fund allocation to eligible
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persons with disabilities.
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Sec. 10. Pena!Provisions. - The penalties shall apply to the following:
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a. Any Person With Disability, or his/her parent or his/her relative of any degree
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of consanguinity or affinity, or any third person found to be deliberately
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committing any fraudulent act of enrolling a Person With Disability to the
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system when a person is not eligible shall suffer the following:
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i. For the first violation, a fine of not less than Twenty-five thousand
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pesos (Php 25,000) but not exceeding Fifty thousand pesos (Php
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50,000);


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jj. For any subsequent violations, a fine of not less than Fifty thousand
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pesos (Php 50,000.00) but not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos
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(Phpl00,000.00); and
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iii. For a third violation, a revocation of any license or business permit;
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b. Any person, natural or juridical, violating any provision of this Act and its
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IRR, except violations pertaining to Subsection a of this Section, shall be
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penalized with a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php 50,000.00) but
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not exceeding One hundred thousand pesos (Php 100,000.00). If the violator
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is a corporation, organization or any similar juridical entity, the officials directly
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involved and responsible shall be liable therefor.
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Sec. 11. Monitoring. - The DSWD, in collaboration with representatives of the
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Organizations of Persons With Disabilities, is hereby tasked to convene an Inter-
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Agency Committee to make an annual assessment of the implementation of this Act.
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Sec. 12. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of the
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provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations of the
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DSWD in the year following its enactment into law and thereafter. The allocated
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budget shall gradually increase in fulfillment of the progressive realization principle.
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Sec. 13. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - Within sixty (60) days from
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the affectivity of this Act, the DSWD, in consultation with the Department of the
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Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Philippine Statistics Authority,
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National Council for Disability Affairs, National Anti-Poverty Council, representative/s
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from registered Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, and other relevant
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stakeholders from government agencies and non-government organizations, shall
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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
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Congress on the status of the implementation of this Act for the purpose of review
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and recommendation of additional measures necessary for the attainment of the
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objectives of this Act.
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Sec. 15. Suppletory Clause. - The provisions of Republic Act No. 1711,
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otherwise known as the "Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities," as amended by
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Republic Act No. 10754 and Republic Act No. 9442, have suppletory effect to the
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provisions of this Act.
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Sec. 16. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared
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unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall
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remain in force and effect.
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Sec. 17. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations
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and executive orders contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or
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modified accordingly.
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Sec. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the official gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
11