• Access to public transportation is also difficult for rural women with disabilities. Public transportation, whether in rural or urban areas, lacks provision for persons with disabilities. However, rural women with disabilities are more marginalized as there is less public transportation in rural areas and they have less access to well-constructed roads. • This group is also more prone to abuses during disasters. Abuses may be in the form of physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Abusers take advantage of the situation and the women are generally more challenged in protecting themselves against physical abuse. • There is also lack of data on women with disabilities, especially in the rural areas. There is lack of information on the number of rural women with disabilities, the types of disabilities, and their specific needs. There are also issues in identifying persons with disabilities and assessing their needs. As such, they remain invisible in national statistics and therefore unprotected • Rural women with disabilities also have limited knowledge on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and how to access services during emergencies. They also have limited access to services provided during emergencies. • The participants also said that women and girls with disabilities are at times invisible in gender movements including in DRR and emergencies. 2. Issues of Elderly Women • Unavailability and accessibility to age-friendly food and non-food items is an important issue to elderly women. Food items that lack in nutrition, such as sardines, instant noodles and canned goods, for instance, are not advisable for the elderly. However, these are the food items that are usually included in relief packs. • Liniment is the most appreciated and necessary non-food item by elderly persons. However, it is not included in the standard non-food items in the relief packs. • Difficult access to drop off point for relief goods is also an issue to elderly persons. Many find it challenging to walk long distances to get to the points of relief distribution. • Elderly persons are also prone to abuses, such as physical, psychological and financial, many of which go unreported. • Elderly persons have increased health needs but health services can be limited during disaster operations. There is also lack of medical specialists for elderly persons during emergencies. • Based on the report of Ms. Kate Pagsolingan from the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE) during the Forum-Workshop on Empowering Rural Women amidst Disasters and Crisis Situations that was held on March 28-29, 2017, there is limited coverage of social protection mechanisms with only 54% of senior citizens receiving social pension which accounts for an estimated 3.5 million elderly persons with no income security. Frequently, a big percentage is composed of women because they have not been part of the formal economy (CHR Documentation Report - Forum-Workshop on Empowering Rural Women amidst Disasters and Crisis Situations, 2017). 24