City encourages bizmen to employ seniors, PWDs
BAGUIO City Mayor Benjamin Magalong approved a City Council resolution urging business establishments in Baguio to employ senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) on tasks commensurate to their physical capacities.
Resolution Number 316 of 2019 also authorizes the mayor to enter into a memorandum of agreement with various fast food chains and business establishments for the said purpose.
“The fast food chains and other business establishments around the city are among the feasible and ideal establishments that can accommodate the SCs and the PWDs considering the hourly rate and their accessibility,” the city council resolution reads.
The resolution was crafted in support to the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which provides government assistance for employment opportunities to senior citizens who have the capacity and desire to work, or be re-employed to enable them to be productive members of society.
Meanwhile, the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons served as the basis in the resolution in an aim to provide access and equal opportunity for PWDs for
suitable employment with same terms and conditions of employment, and with the same compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives or allowances as a qualified able bodied person.
Pacita Lachica, Disability Affairs Officer I of the city government said Republic Act 10524 mandates government offices to see to it that one percent of the total workforce must come from the PWD sector. While this is mandated for government officer, the private sector are being encouraged to apply the same in hiring their employees to provide equal employment.
The Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) of the city is still completing its data as to the number of employed PWDS as well those unemployed and the underemployed.
Lachica said several PWDs with hearing and speech impairment are already employed by fast food chains aside from other business establishments.
Since April to September this year, PDAO has issued more or less 600 PWD identification cards. The PDAO is new division created under the Mayor’s Office in compliance to the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.