EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) ) ) (©{{ice c( ti;r J ic c rrln r? SENATE S.No. 855 •19 AUG-5 PI :45 Introduced by SENATOR LEILA M. DE IJEttAtO 4 AN ACT INSTITUTING A NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR THE PREVENTION, EARLY DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF PERSONS W ITH AUT ISM AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES EXPLANATORY NOTE The Constitution mandates the State to protect and promote the right to health of the people1and endeavor to make health services available to all people at affordable cost, with priority for the needs of children and people with disabilities (PWDs)234. Based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH)3, approximately 1.44 million persons had some form of disability out of a population of 92.1 million. This amounted to roughly 1.57 percent of the total population at the time. With the Philippine population set to balloon to 109 million by the end of 20194, the number of PWDs also figures to increase proportionally. This means that the country may have up to 1.71 million PWDs by then. Nevertheless, these are merely estimates and the real figure itself is difficult to determine as the lack of relevant and up-to-date data makes the tasks of tracking, monitoring, and delivering basic social services to PWDs in the Philippines extremely problematic and challenging. When the State falls short of fulfilling its duty to protect and promote the rights of PWDs, the responsibility of caring for PWDs, more often than not, is borne 1 Article II, Section 15, 1987 Constitution. 2 Article XIII, Section II , 1987 Constitution. 3 Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/content/persons-disability-philippines-results-2010-census 4 Cepeda, M. (2018). Philippine population to hit 109 million by end-2019 - PopConi. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/219798-philippine-population-2019

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