National Council on Disability Affairs (Philippines)

The Philippines' National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) (formerly National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons or NCWDP) is the national government agency mandated to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns. As such, the NCWDP is the lead agency tasked to steer the course of program development for persons with disabilities and the delivery of services to the sector.

By virtue of Presidential Executive Order No. 709 issued last February 26, 2008, it redefines the functions and organizational structure of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) and renames it as the "National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA)."

NCDA is tasked to monitor the implementation of several laws to ensure the protection of Persons With Disabilities (PWD)s' civil and political rights. These laws include the Republic Act No. 7277 otherwise known as Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 or Accessibility Law. Also included are Republic Act 6759 or White Cane Act and ILO Convention No. 159 or the Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons With Disability. It has also been tasked, through Proclamation No. 125, to coordinate activities and to monitor the observance of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002) in the Philippines. Proclamation No. 125 was issued by the President Fidel V. Ramos on January 15, 1993, to enjoin both the government and the private entities to organize projects based on the policy categories mentioned in the agenda for action of the decade.

National Council on Disability

First established as an advisory Council within the United States Department of Education in 1978, the National Council on Disability (NCD) became an independent federal agency in 1984. In 1986, NCD recommended enactment of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and drafted the first version of the bill which was introduced in the House and Senate in 1988. Since enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, NCD has continued to play a leading role in crafting disability policy, and advising the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policies, programs, and practices. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The agency works to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures to give all people with disabilities equal opportunity with the end goal being economic self-sufficiency and independent living.

Specific Duties

The statutory mandate of the NCD includes the following duties: