Convention on the

Rights of Persons
with Disabilities
Justin Macabuhay
Beverly Quion
Reynaldo Yu
Timeline and Background
• Adoption by the United Nations General Assembly –
13 December 2006
• Opened for signature - 30 March 2007
• Entry into force – 3 May 2008
• First Conference of States Parties – 31 October & 3
November 2008
• Second Conference of States Parties –
2 – 4 September 2009
• First session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities – 23-27 February 2008
• 2016 – 10th year anniversary
The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations
to change attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities.
It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons
with disabilities as “objects” of charity, medical treatment and
social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as
“subjects” with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights
and making decisions for their lives based on their free and
informed consent as well as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with

an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad
categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all
persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights
and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all
categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and
identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons
with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas
where their rights have been violated, and where protection of
rights must be reinforced.
Context
•Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including
the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of
persons
•Non-discrimination
•Full and effective participation and inclusion in society
•Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with
disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity
•Equality of opportunity
•Accessibility
•Equality between men and women
•Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities
and respect for the right of children with disabilities to
preserve their identities
 Highlights
•Equality before the law without
discrimination (article 5)
•Right to life, liberty and security
of the person (articles 10 & 14)
•Equal recognition before the law
and legal capacity (article 12)
•Freedom from torture (article
15)
•Freedom from exploitation,
violence and abuse (article 16)
•Right to respect physical and
mental integrity (article 17)
•Freedom of movement and
nationality (article 18)
•Right to live in the community
(article 19)
•Freedom of expression and
opinion (article 21)
•Respect for privacy (article 22)
•Respect for home and the
family (article 23)
•Right to education (article 24)
•Right to health (article 25)
•Right to work (article 27)
•Right to adequate standard of
living (article 28)
•Right to participate in political
and public life (article 29)
•Right to participation in cultural
life (article 30)
Salient Points
• To guide and support States in the formulation and
enforcement of their legislations, strategies, policies and
programmes that promote equality, inclusion and
empowerment of persons with disabilities in society and
development.
• To mainstream the rights, needs and perspective of persons
with disability in development frameworks at global, regional,
national and local levels.
Optional Protocol
• Creates additional functions for the Committee on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
• Individual communications: Committee considers
communications from individuals or group of individuals
claiming to be victims of a violation of the provisions of the
Convention by a State Party of the party to the Protocol
• Inquiries: Committee member may conduct an inquiry on a
State Party, following information received indicating grave
or systemic violations of the Convention by State Party

Optional Protocol
 Philippine Coalition on the U.N
Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities
The Coalition on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities was initially organized in 2010 and
formally constituted in February 2011. The core group is
currently comprised of over twenty disabled people’s
organizations (DPOs) and non-government organizations
(NGOs), covering various disability constituencies, and
several national federations. These include persons with
visual, hearing, speech, mobility, intellectual, psychosocial,
multiple, extensive, chronic illness disabilities. The
Coalition as a whole represents over 65,000 Filipinos with
disabilities.
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) is the national
government agency mandated to formulate policies and coordinate the
activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability
issues and concerns. As such, the NCDA is the lead agency tasked to
steer the course of program development for persons with disabilities and
the delivery of services to the sector.

The NCDA is tasked to monitor the implementation of several laws to

ensure the protection of PWDs’ civil and political rights. These laws include
Republic Act No 7277 (Magna Carta for Disabled Persons), Batas
Pambansa Blg. 344 (Accessibility Law), Republic Act 6759 (White Cane
Act) and ILO Convention No. 159 (Vocational Rehabilitation of Persons
With Disability). It has also been tasked, through Proclamation No. 125, to
coordinate activities and to monitor the observance of the Asian and
Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons (1993-2002) in the Philippines.
Proclamation No. 125 was issued by the President on January 15, 1993,
to enjoin both the government and the private entities to organize projects
based on the policy categories mentioned in the agenda for action of the
decade.
Domestic Laws and Regulations
• Republic Act 1179 - An Act To Provide For The Promotion Of
Vocational Rehabilitation Of The Blind And Other Handicapped
Persons And Their Return To Civil Employment. (1954)
• Republic Act 1373 - An Act Authorizing The Philippine
Sportswriters Association To Hold One Benefit Boxing Show
Every Year, The Net Proceeds Of Which Shall Constitute A Trust
Fund For The Benefit Or Disabled Filipino-boxers. (1955)
• Republic Act 3562 - An Act To Promote The Education Of The
Blind In The Philipipines. (1963)
• Republic Act 4564 - An Act Authorizing The Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office To Hold Annually One Special Sweepstakes
Race For The Exclusive Use Of The Office Of Vocational
Rehabilitation, Social Welfare Administration, In Its
Development And Expansion Program For The Physically
Disabled Throughout The Philippines. (1965)
• Republic Act 5250 - An Act Establishing A Ten-year Training
Program For Teachers Of Special And Exceptional Children In
The Philippines And Authorizing The Appropriation Of Funds
Thereof. (1969)
• PD 1509- Creating The National Commission Concerning
Disabled Persons And For Other Purposes (1979)
• Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 – An Act To Enhance The Mobility Of
Disabled Persons By Requiring Certain Buildings, Institutions,
Establishments And Public Utilities To Install Facilities And Other
Devices (1983)
• Republic Act 6759 - An Act Declaring August One Of Each Year
As White Cane Safety Day In The Philippines And For Other
Purposes. (1989)
• Republic Act 7277 - An Act Providing For The Rehabilitation,
Self-development And Self-reliance Of Disabled Person And
Their Integration Into The Mainstream Of Society And For Other
Purposes. ”Magna Carta For Disabled Persons” (1992)
• Republic Act 9433 - An Act Providing For A Magna
Carta For Public Social Workers. (2007)
• Republic Act 9442 - An Act Amending Republic Act No.
7277, Otherwise Known As The “Magna Carta For
Disabled Persons, And For Other Purposes”. (2007)
• Republic Act No. 10070 -
Establishing 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. (2010)
Republic Act No. 10366 – An Act Authorizing The Commission On Elections To
Establish Precincts Assigned To Accessible Polling Places Exclusively For
Persons With Disabilities And Senior Citizens (2013)
Republic Act No. 10372 – An Act Amending Certain Provisions Of Republic Act
No. 8293, Otherwise Known As The “Intellectual Property Code Of The
Philippines” And For Other Purposes (2013)
Limitation on Copyright - The reproduction or distribution of published
articles or materials in a specialized format exclusively for the use of the
blind, visually and reading-impaired persons: Provided, That such copies
and distribution shall be made on a nonprofit basis and shall indicate the
copyright owner and the date of the original publication.”
Republic Act No. 10524 – An Act Expanding The Positions Reserved For
Persons With Disability, Amending For The Purpose Republic Act No. 7277, As
Amended, Otherwise Known As The Magna Carta For Persons With Disability
(2016)
At least one percent (1%) of all positions in all government agencies,
offices or corporal ions shall be reserved for persons with disability:
Provided, That private corporations with more than one hundred (100)
employees are encouraged to reserve at least one percent (1%) of all
positions for persons with disability.”
Republic Act No. 10754 – An Act Expanding The Benefits And Privileges Of
Persons With Disability (Pwd). (2016)
Commitment to implement
CRPD

commitment to implement CRPD

References

Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-
persons-with-disabilities.html

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-
persons-with-disabilities/the-10th-anniversary-of-the-adoption-of-convention-on-
the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-crpd-crpd-10.html#background

https://www.un.int/philippines/activities/ph-reaffirms-commitment-implement-
crpd-advance-rights-persons-disabilities

Philippine Coalition on the U.N Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
http://crpdparallelreport.net.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2013-CRPD-Parallel-
Rept-of-Phil-Coalition.pdf

National Council on Disability Affairs

http://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/