Commission on Human Rights
Human Rights Centers Management Office
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Center
DOCUMENTATION REPORT
Date
Topic
Summary
30 March 2021
Socio-economic conditions of persons with disabilities during the
COVID-19 pandemic, particularly employment and livelihood
The effects of and response to the COVID-19 pandemic have
undeniable intersections with poverty, disability, and gender. For
example, one of the initial control measures to curb the spread of
the COVID-19 such as mobility restrictions and social distancing
also have unprecedented effects on certain livelihoods. As the
government-imposed lockdowns, limited services to what was
essential (e.g. agriculture, manufacturing of essential goods such as
food and beverages, hygiene products, medicines and medical
products; hospitals; essential retails; logistics; etc.) and shifted to a
skeletal workforce, a number of workers have either lost jobs or
their main source of income. During the time of the quarterly
meeting, there were no available statistics on the number of
Filipinos with disabilities who have lost jobs, but in the United
States, approximately one million workers with disabilities have lost
their jobs in 2020 (Smith, 2020).1
AVAILABLE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
National Council on • Provision of assistive devices
Disability Affairs
• Referral Services
• Disability sensitivity orientation/ trainings for private
employers and national government agencies (NGAs)
• Consultations with NGAs and stakeholders for policy
development
Department of
• PESO Employment Information System (PEIS)
Labor and
• PhilJobNet
Employment
• JobStart Philippines
• Government Internship Program (GIP)
• Trabaho Negosyo Kabuhayan (TNK)
• Kagabay Program (Katulong at Gabay sa Manggawang
may Kapansanan
• DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency
Employment Program (DILEEP)
Department of
• Community-based Services
Social Welfare and
• Auxiliary social service for persons with disability
Development
• Job Search Services
• Residential Care Facilities
• Non-residential Care facilities
1
Smith, A. S. (2020, August 28). A million people with disabilities have lost jobs during the pandemic.
Retrieved from SHRM at https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employmentlaw/pages/coronavirus-unemployment-people-with-disabilities.aspx