mmalabanan
A mother of a child suffering from Cerebral Palsy has shared her story about her recent ordeal involving a supervisor working for Mercury Drug Store branch across Perpertual Help Hospital Las Pinas.
According to Ruth Floresca’s Facebook post on October 15, her husband got into a heated argument with the supervisor of the drug store because the latter refused to honor the Persons with Disability (PWD) ID of their son because the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) allegedly issued a memo stating that Cerebral palsy is a disease and not a disability.
Floresca’s husband was buying an anti-seizure medicine for their son.
This story needs to be told …
Hubby got into a heated argument with a Mercury Drug (branch across Perpetual Help Hospital Las Pinas) supervisor last night while he was buying anti-seizure medication for our son. According to the supervisor, Mercury has passed a memo from DSWD stating that CEREBRAL PALSY is not a disability but a disease so they cannot honor our son’s PWD ID. DUH?!
Persons with Disability are already given very little benefits and now they’ve come up with this?!
What is happening with this country?! If it is true that the memo came from DSWD (and not just a reason for Mercury not to give discounts to PWDs), there are some really stupid officials who should not be sitting pretty in their positions right now!
During my son’s checkup prior to going to Mercury Drug, our neurologist (who originally issued the medical certificate we used to apply for a PWD ID) mentioned a similar incident that happened with another patient.
This is not just about the money families with PWDs could save given the huge amounts we spend on medical bills, medicines, and other needs. This is about fighting for what’s right and what’s just!
Dear DSWD and Mercury Drug, please look up the definition of Cerebral Palsy and educate yourselves! Don’t forget to check photos of people who have this disability so you could see that they are mostly on wheelchairs because they cannot walk and/or have difficulties controlling their muscular functions. My son, particularly, can’t even talk nor sit up by himself!
As my husband tells people who try to pass off stupid policies while pacifying complainants, “Don’t tell me you understand our situation because you don’t have a disabled child. Pray that you don’t have a child with disability in the future just so you can really sympathize with what we are going through every day!”
I hope this issue would be given prompt attention by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Mercury Drug Store, National Council on Disability Affairs (Government).
Seriously people, don’t make life harder than it is for Filipino families with PWDs!!!
Also tagging University of Perpetual Help DALTA Medical Center God is Able International Foundation Inc PWD Philippines Cpsupport_phils.
PWD Benefits in the Philippines
According to Republic Act 9442 amending RA 7277 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and For Other Purposes, PWD can enjoy the privilege of 20% discount for the following products and services:
- public transportation
- purchase of all medicines in drugstores
- medical & dental services including (diagnostic and laboratory fees & professional fees of attending doctors in all private hospitals & medical facilities
- all services in hotels and similar lodging establishments, restaurants & recreation centers
- admission fees on theaters, cinema houses, concert hall, circuses carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure and amusement
- fare for domestic air and sea travel
Furthermore, Pinoy PWD can get educational assistance through scholarship grants, subsidies, financial aids, and other incentives. They also get 5% special discount in special programs for PWD on purchase of basic commodities.
But for a PWD to enjoy these privileges, they must secure a PWD ID Card which they can get from the barangay office, Office of the Mayor, DSWD, NCDA, or organisations with memorandum of agreement from the Department of Health.
As of writing, Team Daily Pedia is still awaiting DSWD’s statement regarding the issue.
hi, Em! stumbled upon your blog while searching for this new policy of mercury drug. I just bought my son’s anti-convulsant drug from them tonight and the staff said they cannot honor my son’s pwd id. Showed me a memo stating that this and that disability are the only ones they can accommodate. Same thing cp din kasi nakalagay sa id ng anak ko. He just mentioned that I should go to dswd to have it replaced/re-labeled. As far as I can remember these are the labels in the memo that they accept. INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, COMMUNICATION DISABILITY, VISUALLY IMPAIRED and 2 other things. if true na dswd nga ang nagbigay ng memo probably they categorized it instead of being specific sa disability. in case of my son sa intellectual disability siya and comm din.