“The government must not neglect the people who are ill with other diseases, and who need help, too.”
Cancer patients and survivors are deemed persons with disability (PWDs) under the law and may claim the corresponding rights and privileges as such, said the top official of the country’s disability affairs agency.
Speaking at an online presser last Feb. 2, National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA) Executive Director Engr. Emerito L. Rojas explained that under the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) of 2018 (Republic Act No. 11215), cancer patients, persons living with cancer, and cancer survivors are considered PWDs in accordance with RA 11228 or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
Therefore, they have the same rights and privileges as PWDs, and according to Rojas, may apply for a PWD identity card in order to claim the benefits they are entitled to.
“Once you are diagnosed with cancer, you are considered a PWD,” Rojas said.
This is something that not all cancer patients are aware of. Many do not even know that there is a NICCA. This, despite Sec. 15 of RA 11215 mandating the Department of Health (DOH) to “intensify its cancer awareness campaign” and “provide the latest and evidence-based information for the prevention and treatment of cancer.”
The DOH is tasked to do this in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), “making full use of the latest technology to disseminate information to reach every Filipino.”
This is an opportune time to discuss these issues, as February is National Cancer Awareness Month as provided for in NICCA Sec. 16, and its observance shall be led by the “DOH in collaboration with LGUs, cancer-focused professional societies, [and] academic institutions.”
I don’t see any of this happening, do you? This is perhaps because the National Integrated Cancer Control Council, again provided for under the NICCA, seems to not have met yet to fulfill their mandate of formulating the country’s policy response to cancer.
Also, although the implementing rules and regulations for the Act were signed on Valentine’s Day, 2019, they don’t seem to have been fully implemented.
What a pity, because the NICCA itself seems quite comprehensive.
As Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas asked the DOH last April, “What’s with the delay? Habang pira-piraso ang implementasyon natin ng NICCA, hindi nabibigyan ng benepisyo ang mga kababayan natin na may kanser…”
He also said that more than P700 million had been allocated for the country’s cancer control program under the 2021 budget.
Vargas added, “The law is there, and it is already funded, yet we cannot fully implement it because the body that should get the ball rolling has not yet been formed.”
Meanwhile, going back to the PWD ID for those with cancer, NCDA’s Rojas said the cards are issued by local government units, and are used to avail of benefits and privileges, like a senior citizens’ card. In the case of those who have both, he said only one may be used at a time.
Among the benefits of a PWD ID are:
• 20% discount and VAT exemption on the purchase of certain goods and services from all establishments
• 5% discount on the purchase of basic and prime commodities
• Philhealth benefits and special packages
• Tertiary education subsidy for students with disability (UNIFAST)
• Use of accessible polling places
• Use of express lanes
Rojas also said that LGUs may not insist that an applicant for a PWD ID should have a voter’s ID before being issued a PWD card. A voter’s ID is only one of the forms of ID that an applicant may show. They may provide another government ID, their barangay certificate, or even their utility bills!
Rojas also said that PWDs do not need to pay Philhealth contributions, because under RA 11228, all PWDs are “automatically covered under [Philhealth]” (Sec. 20-A). The premium contributions of PWDs in the formal economy shall be shared equally by their employers and the national government.
“However,” Rojas said, “despite the law, Philhealth has not rolled this out.”
It may be that the government’s frantic covid response pushed all other concerns out the window. But may we know what happened to the P700 million Vargas mentioned? Was it reallocated to covid response? If not, and it’s still intact, we should use it this year to finally implement the NICCA properly, in addition to any allocation for such under the 2022 budget.
Cancer prevention, care, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation efforts are crucial for the many Filipinos who suffer from this disease. According to the DOH, “cancer is the third leading cause of morbidity in the country” after heart and vascular system diseases.
Per the 2018 Global Data on Cancer, some 80,000 cancer deaths and 140,000 new cases — some 4,000 of those pediatric patients — are expected each year in the Philippines. The leading cause of cancer death is lung cancer, followed by liver, breast, colon, and leukemia. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Filipinos.
So while the government is prioritizing covid response because of the urgency of the situation, they must not neglect the people who are ill with other diseases, and who need help too. The work on implementing the NICCA must go forward, and the government should require the Council to meet this year at the soonest time possible.
Otherwise, they will have wasted the time and effort poured into creating and passing the NICCA, and put the health of many of our kababayans at further risk.
*** FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO