The National Council on Disability Affairs Condemns Proliferation of Fake PWD IDs
Both the PWD sector and restaurateurs are asking the national government to clamp down on the manufacturers and distributors of fake IDs
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) has joined the business community in condemning the manufacture and proliferation of fake persons with disabilities Identification cards (PWD IDs) in the market. In a statement, the government agency said that the act not only compromises the system’s integrity, but also threatens to deny PWDs of their “rightful benefits”.
“This abuse directly impacts those who genuinely need support, including discounts on essential goods, services and healthcare,” it said.
A Criminal Act
The lead government agency, responsible for protecting and promoting the rights of PWDs, also cautioned perpetrators that the production and distribution of the fake IDs is a criminal act that violates several laws, and is punishable with fines and imprisonment.
“Such offenses may constitute falsification of public documents, violations of the Data Privacy Act, perjury and making false statements,” the agency warned.
Finding Solutions
In a phone interview, The Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (Resto Ph) President David Sison said, they are currently conducting meetings with NCAD and other PWD groups, to address the issue.
“We want to ensure that our policies align with the national guidelines and be able to communicate better (with the PWD groups) that we are just following the policies of the national government,” said Sison.
The PWD and Senior Citizen IDs give the beneficiaries a 20% discount on various goods and services such as dining, hotel accommodations, medicine, domestic transportation, among others.
But Sison said they estimate a 50% rise in fake IDS in the last three years, which is severely affecting the income of an industry still recovering from closures during the pandemic. He added that there have been more fake IDs being sold on social media sites, with the price dropping from Php 3,000 three years ago to just Php 500 today due to competition.
The government had announced last year, that a unified PWD ID will be produced, with consistent security features and a QR code, to make it easier to verify the authenticity of the IDs. However, consolidating all the data is taking longer than expected, and the implementation has been moved to end of the year from the original target date of June 2025.
Better Together
In the midst of the ongoing discussions, Sison assures the PWD community that they are not against giving them their benefits and would like to foster better communication with them.
“We’re both fighting against a common enemy which is the fraudsters, but we are one with them,” he emphasized.
He shared that Resto PH is taking “a more pro-active stance”, and is currently discussing how to provide more training and employment opportunities for the sector.
