Davao sets penalties vs fraudulent claims for PWD assistance

SIGN LANGUAGE. A volunteer of the Archdiocesan Citizens Engagement Committee – Parish Pastoral for Responsible Voting uses sign language to guide a person with disability at the Teodoro Palma Gil Elementary School on 12 May 2025. PWDs are being prioritized to vote during elections. MindaNews file photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 1 August 2026) – Individuals found to have submitted fraudulent documents to avail of aid intended for persons with disabilities (PWDS) will be penalized based on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of City Ordinance No. 049-25, Series of 2025, the City Information said in an announcement. 

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte signed last July 29 Executive Order No. 23 on the IRR of the ordinance providing for a P1,500 annual financial assistance for PWDs.

The ordinance was approved on November 25, 2025.

According to the IRR, the city will penalize the submission of fraudulent documents, the use of expired PWD IDs, or applying for assistance for a disability status that has been medically cured.

Penalties range from P2,000 to P5,000, along with administrative or legal liabilities.

The P1,500 cash assistance aims to help defray the costs of maintenance medicine, therapy, assistive devices, and mobility needs, granted the member holds an active PWD card.

The ID is provided by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) of Davao City, which is tasked by the ordinance to make a master list of PWDs every March 30.   

Children, bedridden individuals, or PWDs with intellectual/mental/learning disabilities require additional certification from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), according to the IRR.   

PWDs already receiving subsidies under other city assistance programs (such as senior citizen or solo parent aid) are excluded.  

The ordinance authorizes the city to distribute the funds between May and July every year, subject to fund availability. 

It mandates barangay officials, through their treasurers, to handle distribution in coordination with the CSWDO and the city treasurer’s office. 

Qualified PWDs must be registered voters of Davao City, while non-voter PWDs may present a barangay certificate proving at least three years of residency. 

The IRR also outlines ways for PWDs with intellectual, learning, and mental disabilities, as well as those who are bedridden to avail of the annual fund, through a certification from the CSWDO. (Yas D. Ocampo/MindaNews)