RA 1179 – An Act To Provide For The
Promotion Of Vocational Rehabilitation
Of The Blind And Other Handicapped
Persons And Their Return To Civil
Employment
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1179
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE PROMOTION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
OF THE BLIND AND OTHER HANDICAPPED PERSONS AND THEIR RETURN TO
CIVIL EMPLOYMENT
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
Section 1. This Act may be cited as Vocational Rehabilitation Act
Sec. 2.OBJECTIVES
(a) To provide for the promotion of vocational training for the blind and other persons
disabled by natural and/or accidental causes resulting in job handicap in the form of
physical or mental impairment and their subsequent return from helplessness to
competence; from dependency to self-sufficiency; from hopelessness to active
participating and contributing members of society;
(b) To prepare such disabled persons for suitable employment so as to place them on
the right jobs suitable to their abilities and talents;
(c) To train them to be able to take their rightful place in the economic and social
activities of the country; and
(d) To train available to such persons vocational rehabilitation services as a legal right.
Sec. 3. CREATION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION OFFICE
In order to ensure the most effective scheme of vocational rehabilitation of the blind and
other handicapped persons to implement the social welfare program of the government
in the amelioration of this deprived class of society, there is hereby established a
Vocational Rehabilitation Office hereinafter referred as the Office. The Office shall be
under the executive supervision and control of the Social Welfare Administrator and
shall be headed by a chief who shall be referred to as Supervisor of the Vocational
Rehabilitation Office. The said Supervisor shall be appointed by the Social Welfare
Administrator and shall receive a compensation of five thousand four hundred pesos per
annum.
Sec. 4. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE ADMINISTRATOR
Under this Act, the Social Welfare Administrator Shall:
(a) Designate the Vocational Rehabilitation Office as the sole energy for the
administration, supervision and control of the vocational rehabilitation program;
(b) Formulate the program, policies and methods in carrying out the work to render any
or sell services for the blind and handicapped persons;
(c) Provide that the vocational rehabilitation program be made available only to classes
of employable individuals defined under this Act;
(d) Appoint qualified and technical personnel to carry out the work of the Vocational
Rehabilitation Office as provided herein;
(e) Appoint, subject to civil service rules, such staff members as may be necessary and
proper to carry out the provisions of this Act. Said staff members shall be composed of
public officials whose status and conditions of service are such that they are
independent of changes of government and of improper external influences, and
recruited with sole regard to their qualifications; and that such persons shall be free
from political domination and influence, and that subject to the needs of the service,
they shall be assured of stability of employment in keeping with the highest standards of
personal administration.
(f) Promulgate rules and regulations governing the administration of this Act; and
exercise such powers and delegate such of these powers, except the making of the
rules and regulations, as he finds necessary in carrying out the purposes of this Act.
Sec. 5. THE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM