Creation of Office for Persons with Disabilities Urged

"Not disabled but enabled," according to incumbent Naga City councilor David Casper Nathan Sergio, referring to the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) sector.

In a move designed to give members of the PWD sector greater opportunities to access various city services, Sergio is now proposing the creation of the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office or PWDAO through a city ordinance to serve the needs of differently-abled individuals in Naga.

Co-authored by councilor Lourdes Asence, the said ordinance aims to institutionalize the local government's different programs and projects for PWD. The creation of an office dedicated to the concerns of differently-abled citizens is expected to help thousands of Nagueños with various disabilities, says Sergio.

At present, construction of a temporary PWD assistance center is nearing completion. The center, located beside the Department of Labor and Employment building within the city hall compound, will cater to the specific needs of the PWD pending the approval of the proposed ordinance by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

An existing facility, the Naga City Center for the Blind, has been in operation since last year. Located on the ground floor of the Raul S. Roco Public Library, the center has fast become a model office, with hundreds of visually-impaired individuals visiting it each month.

Sergio, a stalwart ally of differently-abled individuals further explained that the office will be run in cooperation with the Persons with Disabilities Federation, an NGO accredited by the city council and created to advance the goals of Naga's PWD sector.

"The establishment of the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office will open doors for Naga's differently-abled citizens. This will also give the city government another opportunity to effectively address the concerns of PWD in Naga," Sergio adds.

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