assistance for disability-related needs; (b) To ensure access by persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities and older persons with disabilities, to social protection programmes and poverty reduction programmes; (c) To ensure access by persons with disabilities and their families living in situations of poverty to assistance from the State with disability-related expenses, including adequate training, counselling, financial assistance and respite care; (d) To ensure access by persons with disabilities to public housing programmes; (e) To ensure equal access by persons with disabilities to retirement benefits and programmes. Adequate standard of living includes adequate food, clothing and housing for persons with disabilities and their families. On the other hand, social protection pertains to services for persons with disabilities that would ensure access to an adequate standard of living. Stated differently, social protection (whether contributory or non-contributory) includes programs that ensure an adequate standard of living for persons with disabilities, thereby meeting their needs as human persons and live a life with dignity, especially during situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies as contemplated in Article 11 of the UNCRPD. Social protection refer to the means, while adequate standard of living are the ends being contemplated about. As similarly observed in all economic, social and cultural rights, any inquiry on the State's compliance with its obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the right xiv to adequate standard of living and social protection must conform to the following criteria of:  Availability: necessary goods or services must be available in sufficient quantities;  Accessibility: necessary goods (such as food or medicine) or services (such as healthcare or education) must be both physically and economically accessible to all, without discrimination, and the community must have information about them;  Acceptability and adaptability: necessary goods and services must be culturally and socially acceptable and adapted to the local context;  Adequate Quality: necessary goods and services must be appropriate and adequate in standard and safety. Notably, Philippine law xv has institutionalized the practice of granting discounts to persons with disabilities; exemptions from value-added tax on sale of goods and services; allocating priority lanes and seats; providing employment opportunities both in the public and private sector; mandatory coverage under Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); and penalizing acts that tend to vilify persons with disabilities. These laws remain in full force and effect even during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that their human rights are realized. Nevertheless, in their 27 March 2020 open letter,xvi the Philippine Coalition on the UNCRPD calls the government's particular attention to the following: 1. Making the information and communication channels accessible and understandable to all persons with disabilities and children with disabilities; 2. Utilizing the available data of Persons with Disability ID issued by Local Government Units; 3. Utilizing the data of organizations of persons with disabilities, organizations of parents 8