MANILA— President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure that aims to make education and services inclusive for learners with disabilities in the country, a document from Malacañang showed on Tuesday.

Republic Act No. 11650, also known as Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education, mandates the creation of inclusive learning resource centers (ILRC) for learners with disabilities in all cities, municipalities, and schools districts nationwide.

The Department of Education (DepEd), with the help of local government units, is tasked to create at least one ILRC in all cities and municipalities as long as "resources may allow," the measure read.

It also converts special education (SPED) centers into ILRC, prioritizing areas with the most number of learners with disabilities.

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The goal of ILRCs is to deliver "free support" for learners with disabilities through alternative education programs, early intervention programs, and transition programs.

The law, signed by Duterte on March 11 but only released by the Palace on Tuesday, noted the importance of providing learners with disabilities access to basic education and support to services that they need during the course.

"[The law] would ensure that learners with disabilities develop their full potential toward self-sufficiency and fully become participative members of society," the measure read.

The law also makes sure that no learners with disabilities will be denied admission or even excluded, Save the Children-Philippines had said last year.

There are 5.5 million learners with disabilities in the country, the non-profit organization said.

WHY THIS MATTERS

At the height of the pandemic, many children with disabilities (CWDs) had trouble keeping up with the changes brought by remote learning, with classes being held online.

According to DepEd data in December last year, the number of learners with disabilities (LWDs) dropped from 360,879 in 2019 to 111,521 in 2020, the same year that Philippine schools shifted to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News late last year, DepEd Planning Service Director Roger Masapol said parents of CWDs may have hesitated to enroll their children last year because of "safety concerns and the means of delivering instructions."

• Fewer learners with disabilities enroll during pandemic: DepEd

According to Save the Children’s “Rapid Survey on the Situation of Children with Disabilities in the Context of COVID-19” conducted in May 2020, 48 percent of the 40,066 respondents said they did not have access to education during the health and economic crisis.

• Nearly half of children with disabilities in PH have no access to education during COVID-19 crisis, says survey

MECHANISMS

Aside from what was mentioned, the newly signed measure establishes the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council for Learners with Disabilities for policy coordination and harmonization.

The inter-agency coordinating council, headed by the education secretary, would ensure that the national policy on inclusive education would be carried out.

Family members, guardians, and care providers will also be given formal training and orientation developed by DepEd, LGUs, and the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council.

The measure also directs DepEd to ensure that there would be equal opportunities in sports, recreation, and artistic activities for learners with disabilities.

The law also penalizes any forms of bullying, discrimination, and neglect against such learners "and other acts or conditions prejudicial to their physical and psychosocial well-being and development as provided in this Act" and other relevant laws.

REACTIONS

E-Net Philippines, a network of civil society groups for education rights, lauded the passage of the new law, saying the future of children with disabilities is now "brighter" through inclusive learning centers.

"Inclusive education not only benefits learners with disabilities, but also create[s] an environment in which every student, including those who do not have disabilities, has the opportunity to flourish," E-Net Philippines President Olivia Lucas said in a statement.

— With reports from Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

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