AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM TO ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN EVERY PROVINCE, CITY AND MUNICIPALITY, AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7277, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "MAGNA CARTA FOR DISABLED PERSONS", AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Fourteenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand nine.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10070

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM TO ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN EVERY PROVINCE, CITY AND MUNICIPALITY, AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7277, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "MAGNA CARTA FOR DISABLED PERSONS", AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 40 of Republic Act No. 7277, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

Section 2. References to the term "Disabled Persons" on the title and other sections of the same Act are hereby amended to read as "Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)."

Section 3. Within three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act, appropriate agencies, headed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in consultation with the NCDA and relevant NGOs and POs, shall review its implementation and recommend to Congress the need to mandate the establishment of a PDAO in fourth (4), fifth (5) and sixth (6) class municipalities.

Section 4. In order to effectively carry out the objectives of Republic Act No. 7277, the National Government, through the DSWD, shall ensure that the annual budget includes provisions to fund programs and provide support for PWDs.

Local government units shall likewise ensure that the necessary fund from any available local revenues is allocated for the implementation of this Act for the benefit of PWDs in their jurisdictions.

Section 5. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, and rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 6. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions hereof.

Section 7. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation or in the Official Gazette, whichever comes first.

Approved,

This Act which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 3560 and House Bill No. 1387 was finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on January 18, 2010 and January 26, 2010, respectively.

Approved: APR 06 2010

(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines