DAGUPAN CITY, July 31 (PIA) - Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) received various forms of assistance from the government in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Center Manager Elizabeth Manuel of the Area -1 Vocational and Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) located in Dagupan City said even under a lockdown, help for the PWDs was not compromised.

Manuel said some 200 food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the region have been distributed to families with PWDs.

The center has also distributed assistive devices like eyeglasses and customized wheel chairs to identified beneficiaries in the towns of Aguilar, Bani, Mangatarem , Burgos and in the city of Urdaneta.

"The beneficiaries underwent processes and when the 12 wheelchairs arrived, naipamahagi agad sa mga kapatid nating may kapansanan," Manuel said during the radio program of the Philippine Information Agency.

As part of the 42nd National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week , AVRC spearheaded a Webinar tackling various topics for the PWDs that include how to fight COVID-19, disaster risk reduction management, and the proposal on disability allowance for PWDs just like the senior citizens who receive social pensions.

"Isinusulong pa lang ito (disability allowance) ng mga namumuno and who knows, magkaroon ng batas para dito, hindi man ngayon, pero sa future," Manuel told PIA.

She lamented that blind masseurs were greatly affected by the pandemic when massage parlors were restricted and malls where they work were closed during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period.

"Isang webinar on massage protocols ay isinagawa rin para sa ating mga kapatid na bulag na nag-mamasahe para kapag unti-unti nang payagang magbukas ang mga massage parlors ay alam ng ating mga kababayan ang dapat gawin," she added.

As their livelihood were greatly affected, Manuel said the cooperatives and association where the PWDs belong have provided alternative livelihood for them to augment their income during the pandemic. The PWDs were also recipients of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the government.

Manuel said trainings for the PWDs in the center have stopped since March but is now also slowly re-opening, subject to minimum health protocols and guidelines.

The AVRC-1 covers four regions in Luzon -Regions 1, 2 3 and the Cordilleras. The NDPR week is an annual celebration in the country which starts on July 17 and ends on the birth date of the sublime paralytic hero Apolinario Mabini, on July 23. (JCR/JND/VHS, PIA Pangasinan)