Seminar on handling PWDs in tourism industry to be held
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) will be holding the seminar on how to handle Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in tourism industry on August 18 here.
According to NCDA acting executive director Carmen Zubiaga, this one-day seminar is aimed to promote the government’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) and other equally important laws and mandates on disability among duty bearers and stakeholders in order to attain goals on “Accessible Tourism for All.”
“The seminar will involve the participation of the workers in the business industry, hotel and restaurant managers, tour guides, resort and transport operators, and other DOT-accredited establishment,” said Zubiaga adding that “other participants in this seminar would include officials of the government who oversee the implementation of tourism industry, the media, among others.”
It can be recalled that the Regional Council on Disability Affairs (RCDA) led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Caraga has conducted on July 20-22 the seminar on how to handle the behavior of children with special needs. This time, the NCDA and RCDA will be giving focus to the PWDs.
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) is the national government agency mandated to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns. As such, the NCDA is the lead agency tasked to steer the course of program development for persons with disabilities and the delivery of services to the sector.
The NCDA is tasked to monitor the implementation of several laws to ensure the protection of PWDs’ civil and political rights. These laws include Republic Act No 7277 (Magna Carta for Disabled Persons), Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 (Accessibility Law), Republic Act 6759 (White Cane Act) and ILO Convention No. 159 (Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons With Disability). It has also been tasked, through Proclamation No. 125, to coordinate activities and to monitor the observance of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002) in the Philippines. Proclamation No. 125 was issued by the President on January 15, 1993, to enjoin both the government and the private entities to organize projects based on the policy categories mentioned in the agenda for action of the decade.
