Episode 5-Abuso sa PWD Privileges, Pahirap sa Tunay na May Kapansanan

 This transcript is machine-generated, and we apologize for any errors.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, network, or sponsors. Listener discretion is advised.

Philippe: Gab, have you heard of the fake PWD IDs that are circling? I’m not sure if it’s just QC or the whole Metro Manila or the whole Philippines, but apparently I’ve been hearing a lot.

I went to Friday’s just recently. That’s nice. I like it there. I saw the sign na parang, beware of fake PWD IDs and they need to verify that it’s you and that you’re disabled, blah, blah, blah, and all that.

Ang weird, no? Because I saw it in the news that there are a lot of fake IDs. Yeah, yeah. What’s going on? How much is the discount for PWD? Is it like a senior?

Gab: I think they have their own different discount percentages depending on the bill, I think.

Philippe: So I just made a quick Google search. Yeah. So they’re entitled 20%. So it’s like a senior, but it depends on the goods count, just like you said. So iba-ibang discounts. Generally, it’s 20% on medical, dental, blah, blah, blah. Yeah.

Transportation, 20% as well. Food, 20%. Other stuff will depend on the products and services, but not everything is 20%. But necessities of a PWD, they’re entitled to 20%.

Philippe: Ang kawawa lagn ngayon is, what if you’re a real PWD and they have a fake ID?

Gab: Yeah. The discrimination would be difficult for them. Because even if they say, I’m a PWD, it would be hard to believe them because of other things that’s been happening regarding the card that they have.

Philippe: And one thing is for sure, the thing is about when you’re a PWD, some people, when they say PWD, they think it’s either a wheelchair, a cut on the hand, a bump. Which is categorically, those are part of PWD.

But did you know, if you are a cancer survivor, you are considered PWD? Did you know that? Yeah. Yeah. I was surprised too. I have a friend of mine, I was surprised. He got a real PWD card. But this was way before I heard that a lot of fake cards came out. Then I said, why do you have a PWD card?

He said, didn’t you know I’m a cancer survivor? No way. He said, if you’re a cancer survivor, you are entitled to a PWD card. Yeah. So, he uses a privilege.

So, if we eat out, he won’t give it to all of us. He gets 20%. Not everyone gets 20%. So, he gets 20%. Malsaking kaltas sa bill yun. Yeah. Right? And he gets to park in the PWD section.

Handicap parking. Even if he’s not physically handicapped. But as long as you’re a cancer survivor. I’m not sure if it’s just cancer. But there’s a lot of PWD categories that, if you look at the person, mukhang okay naman.

Right? But maybe he’s a cancer survivor. Maybe he has a heart problem. Maybe he has a mental problem.

Sorry, maybe we can do a quick Google search. But yeah. Because people found out that, oh, wow. They can do that. So, they already have an ID. Yes. Look at that. So ngayon, the real PWD is sad. They’re going to have a hard time in getting discounts. And they have to verify. They’re really PWD.

And I asked the waitstaff sa Friday. So, pano niyo malalaman? For example, there’s a PWD. How will you verify? They need an additional ID.

So, sabi ko, okay. If I have a PWD ID, I’ll give them my license. So, what’s that going to prove? Yes, that’s true. It’s going to prove that it’s me. Right? But it’s not going to prove kung may disability ako.

And the thing is, why? Okay, PWD. How are we going to verify that?

Gab: There’s actually no way to verify. As in, just to verify that you’re the person with the ID. Because I think the white card is considered as your PWD ID, right? So, you claim it from City Hall. I think that’s the process. Yes. Because one time, I came there with a family member. And then they have to claim it from City Hall, the newly issued PWD cards from City Hall, for them to have the card.

Philippe: Question. Before you continue. The new PWD card, is that printed like a license? Or is it something you need to laminate?

Gab: Here’s the thing. You get something that you have to laminate first. And then they will issue another one that looks like a license afterwards. So, at some point, when you claim it, you still don’t have the card yet. You only get the laminated one muna. So, when you get that, the first ID would be considered as expired already. It wouldn’t be used anymore. That’s for the PWD cards.

Philippe: You know what they should do? I don’t know if they thought about this or not, but if they did, they’re so slow in implementing it. You know what they should do? You have the NBI clearance, right? How do you verify NBI clearance? QR. Right? So, you get an NBI clearance, and then on the paper, there’s a QR code.

Scan the QR, and then it’s going to bring you to a page in the NBI website and it verifies if it’s validated or not, if it’s real or not. Yeah. And you do that. They could have done that for the PWD. QR lang. Yeah. They could see…

Issue there, though. One issue there is privacy concerns. Yeah. So, if I was a waitstaff and then I QR-ed in and you’re going to see my information on a website or an app, then there’s a privacy issue there. But that’s a quick way to verify, right? Licensure. Our driver’s license. How do we verify it? MMDA stops us. How would they know if it’s real or not? It’s only in the train eye of an MMDA and they would know that the license is fake or not.

But nowadays, they’re making IDs. Let’s just go straight. Yeah, that’s true. There’s a seal. There’s a seal and if you go, there’s a hologram and all that. It’s the real deal. You know?

So, how can we verify that? Although there’s a QR. Look, may QR. may QR. Right? Hello? Who’s in the PWD? Right? Gamitin ang QR. Right? NBI may QR. National ID may QR. Driver’s license has a QR. Right? DSWD has a QR. Oh, imagine. Ah. DSWD. Talk to NBI. Talk to… You know what? No, no, no, no.

Talk to DICT. You know? Because of DICT, we have a national ID. It’s even better. The app is even better. The user is even better. Let’s put it in the national… What do you call it? PHILSYS app? Right? Put it there.

If you’re going to travel… Have you traveled to outside the country recently? Yeah. Okay. Right? In the app. In the national ID app. Kailangan mo… Indicate that you’re leaving? Yeah. If you’re going to travel, you have to fill up a form. Put it there. wala na silang gagastos na more PWD cards. Virtually, we’re getting there. It’s the future. Oh.

Guys, DICT, help out DSWD. Right? I think that would solve their problems. Not only DSWD, not only the PWD concerns, but maybe we could… Ano ba yung other concerns with our identification?

Passport. Walang QR ang Passport ngayon. There isn’t. Although we have electronic passport verification. Speaking about passport, I recently arrived from another… From a vacation recently from another country. And e-passport, it’s nice. High-tech yung arrival natin. We scanned the passport. The problem is, the system is new. The queue is so long because every time you’re scanned and you’re automatically sent to the gate, you cannot verify. You’ll go back. You cannot verify while you’re in line. Screw this. It’s up to the… It’s up to the person. It’s up to the person to verify.

But I love how we’re getting there in terms of progress. I think so long for those who fake PWD cards and siguro just be vigilant about it. And look at people. For example, pag nakita mo… I don’t think when Gab shows a fake… What did he say? Wait. Doesn’t it look like… Do you have a disability? I do. I do.

You’re blind. You’re blind. I can’t see. But didn’t you drive earlier? I did.
Gab: My ears have a fracture. Your ears have a fracture. It’s true. You’re deaf. Huh?

Philippe: Yeah. I think maybe DICT is going to probably help them out. And if not, somebody who’s our representative for DICT? There are a lot of USec. There are five USec.

So the secretary is Ivan John E. Uy. Sir, you know I’m pretty sure you did this for NBI and the other technologies. Just help out this sector. I think it’s a… I know it’s not a quick implementation but it would help our fellow citizens around.

Gab: Not only citizens but also businesses that can be affected.

Philippe: Exactly. That’s the number one that can affect businesses. Yes. Right? Right. So we have Secretary Ivan Uy. Okay? We have Usecs. There are five of them. I’m not going to mention all their names but we also have ASICs. So there are six of them. There are a lot of you. You guys could think of things. You know? I’m pretty sure these are all qualified. They’re high-tech people. They know how things work. And I know they could implement this in our National ID app. Yeah. Yeah.