pagtawid. Minsan po ako ginabi dun, galing ako sa Laguna; mag-isa po akong bumiyahe. Ang tagal ko pong nakatawid. May barker po sa kabila, gusto kong tawagin na itawid po ako. Walang tumulong sa akin; pero sabi nila may boses daw yun.” (“In Project 4, they said the traffic lights already have voices. One time I came home late from Laguna; I travelled alone. I waited for a long time and couldn’t cross. I wanted to ask for help from people across the street—nobody helped me; but they said the lights already had voices”). In Cagayan de Oro and Cebu, speakers during the Inquiry recounted different experiences of being discriminated against when boarding public transportation services. In Cagayan de Oro, a mobility impaired woman complained of persons in the front seats of jeepneys refusing to give up their seats to persons with disability. She laments, “Akong gusto ipa-abot, nga kami nga persons with disabilities, sabton unta mi. Kay magkamang man ko kung naa ko sa likod; dili gyud ko kakatkat.” (I just want to convey that they please understand us persons with disabilities. I will be crawling if they insist I ride in the back; I cannot get myself up). Meanwhile, women with disabilities who are living in GIDAs, particularly those from Caraga and CAR, described the remote distance of health facilities as a deterrent in accessing RH information and services. In one account in CARAGA, a woman with mobility impairment described the ordeal of giving birth when one lives in a GIDA. She described having to ride a tricycle, then a bangka, and then another vehicle to reach a tertiary hospital.20 In terms of RH information, more often, capacity building is only accessible for those near the city center. For women with disabilities in far flung barangays, access to these life saving information is often unavailable. While Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), and Persons with Disability focal persons try to bridge the gap, barriers remain. As stressed by a woman with disability leader in Cagayan de Oro “Yung mga health providers, yung DOH, yung awareness maipaabot even to the hinterland barangays, kasi sila yung nangangailangan nito. Malayong malayo sa services, at hindi nila kaya kahit na pagpunta doon sa health center ng barangay, hindi nila makaya doon. Kailangan pa nila ng habal-habal at pera makaputa, makapag-prenatal at makapag-check up.” (Health providers like DOH should ensure that awareness reaches even the hinterland barangays, because people there are the ones who need it. They are so far from services, they cannot go even to the barangay health centers, they can’t. They need to ride a motortaxi, and have money to have their pre-natal and check up). Meanwhile, if and when they finally reach the RH facilities and/or other government offices and mechanisms to avail of the relevant services, they are confronted with mobility issues due to the built environment, and/or the infrastructures themselves. They do not have the required facilities, such as ramps, elevators, toilets, and breast-feeding facilities, as well as essential equipment like gynecological or adjustable beds, especially in labor wards.21 20 21 Butuan City, Public Hearing CAR,CARAGA, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and NCR Public Hearing and FGDs. 10

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