About three million Filipinos living with disabilities would receive a regular monthly cash allowance from the government under a Senate bill that treats disability-related costs as a matter of social justice, not charity.
Senator Joel Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 2096, which seeks to establish a standing fund under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that will provide a monthly stipend of P2,000 per beneficiary, indexed to inflation.
“The responsibility rests on the State to exert greater effort to ensure that no citizen of theirs is left behind, and that individuals with disabilities are adequately supported to overcome the risks and barriers associated with their condition,” Villanueva said.
The DSWD will administer the fund in coordination with the National Council on Disability Affairs and organizations of persons with disabilities, which will jointly formulate eligibility criteria.
Implementation proceeds in two phases. In the first three years, the fund prioritizes children with disabilities, adults with moderate to severe disability facing the highest barriers, and PWDs already receiving social protection such as the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens. The second phase, covering the following three years, extends coverage to all PWDs certified as indigent by the DSWD.
Beyond the monthly stipend, the fund covers expenses for transportation, food and nutrition, maintenance medicines, rehabilitation services, assistive devices and technology, and pre-employment and employment support services.
A Disability Data Management System will be created and linked to the Community-Based Monitoring System, the National ID System, and the DOH Persons with Disability Registry to enable real-time data and subsidized PhilHealth enrollment.
Fraud penalties are built into the measure. Individuals who fraudulently enroll ineligible beneficiaries face fines of P25,000 to P50,000 for a first violation and P50,000 to P100,000 for subsequent offenses.
“This proposed measure aims to promote inclusion, reduce inequality, and empower persons with disabilities to live with dignity and actively participate in nation-building,” Villanueva said.
The bill comes as Department of Health figures, as of April 7, 2026, show that approximately 3 million Filipinos are living with some form of disability — 1,023,584 with physical disabilities, 434,262 with speech impairments, 397,799 with psychosocial disabilities, 303,230 with visual disabilities, and 181,784 with mental disabilities.
A joint DSWD-UNICEF study found that families raising children with disabilities face poverty rates at least 50 percent higher than the national average.
Funding will be included in the DSWD’s annual General Appropriations and is required to increase progressively in line with the bill’s progressive realization principle.
