Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Tuesday said the proposal to grant lifetime validity to identification cards of persons with permanent disabilities is a “common-sense reform” that removes burden on persons with disabilities and their caregivers.
Speaking during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, Tulfo said permanent disabilities do not heal, improve, or disappear, yet current rules still require repeated renewals and re-evaluations.
“Permanent disability does not change. Hindi po ito nawawala at hindi rin po ito gumagaling (It does not go away and it does not get cured),” he said, citing conditions such as congenital limb loss, paralysis, blindness, deafness, muteness, Down syndrome and autism.
He said Senate Bill 1405 seeks to amend the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability as nothing is gained from requiring individuals with such conditions to resubmit documents every few years.
Tulfo said the renewal process forces PWDs and their families to endure long lines, physical strain, emotional stress and added expenses for documents that only reconfirm a condition that cannot improve.
He added that the practice “sends the wrong message,” as though government doubts the permanence of their disability.
“Imagine the burden this places on them. Isang araw na naman sa pila, isang araw na naman na kailangan nilang patunayan ang isang bagay na hindi naman nagbabago (Another day lining up, another day proving something that does not change),” he said.
He noted that such requirements imply re-verification of realities that are medically irreversible.
Tulfo said granting lifetime validity to PWD IDs is “an act of respect,” easing bureaucratic pressure while allowing government to redirect resources toward cases that genuinely require reassessment.
During the hearing, Department of Social Welfare and Development Assistant Secretary for ICT and Chief Information Officer Johannes Paulus Acuña expressed the agency’s full backing for measures to strengthen PWD identification systems.
He said the DSWD, in coordination with the National Council on Disability Affairs, “extends its full support to the legislative intent behind all proposed measures seeking to enhance the validity, security, and integrity of persons with disabilities.”
Meanwhile, social welfare and disability agencies told the Senate that a revised administrative order enabling lifetime validity for IDs of persons with permanent disabilities is already being prepared, with Acuña confirming that the unified digital PWD ID system can immediately implement the change once new policy guidance is issued.
During the hearing, Acuña assured the panel of the system’s readiness, saying, “the system is ready to effect the changes… if they fall under permanent disability, we can extend the validity to lifetime.”
A draft amendment is circulating among 13 member-agencies, with a likelihood of adopting lifetime validity once comments are consolidated. (PNA)