About three million Filipinos with disabilities may receive a regular P2,000 monthly cash allowance under a proposed Senate measure seeking stronger state support for indigent persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Senate Bill No. 2096 proposes the creation of a standing fund under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide qualified PWDs with a monthly stipend, with the amount to be adjusted based on inflation.
The measure frames disability-related expenses as a social justice concern, citing the need for the government to help PWDs and their families manage the added costs of transportation, food and nutrition, maintenance medicines, rehabilitation services, assistive devices, technology, and employment support.
“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,” Senator Joel Villanueva, the bill’s author said.
Under the proposal, the DSWD will administer the fund in coordination with the National Council on Disability Affairs and organizations of persons with disabilities, which will help formulate the eligibility requirements.
The program will be implemented in phases. During the first three years, priority will be given to children with disabilities, adults with moderate to severe disabilities who face the highest barriers, and PWDs already covered by existing social protection programs, including the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens.
The second phase, covering the next three years, will expand the benefit to all PWDs certified as indigent by the DSWD.
The bill also seeks to establish a Disability Data Management System linked to the Community-Based Monitoring System, the National ID System, and the Department of Health’s (DOH) Persons with Disability Registry. The system is intended to improve real-time data collection and support subsidized PhilHealth enrollment for beneficiaries.
To protect the program from abuse, the proposed law sets penalties for fraudulent enrollment. Violators may face fines of P25,000 to P50,000 for the first offense and P50,000 to P100,000 for succeeding violations.
“This proposed measure aims to promote inclusion, reduce inequality, and empower persons with disabilities to live with dignity and actively participate in nation-building,” the senator said.
The proposal comes as DOH data as of April 7, 2026 showed around 3 million Filipinos living with some form of disability, including more than 1 million 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 also found that families raising children with disabilities face poverty rates at least 50 percent higher than the national average.
Funding for the program will be included in the DSWD’s annual budget and must progressively increase in line with the measure’s goal of expanding support for indigent PWDs.