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how to get financial assistance as a PWD

How to Apply for PWD Financial Assistance in the Philippines (For Cancer Patients and Survivors) in 2022 

The PWD ID card is part of a government policy that allows privileges and benefits for persons with disabilities and their caregivers. 

Here’s you can apply for your own PWD ID card, along with other financial assistance programs in the Philippines:

Who Qualifies for the PWD ID?  

If you have a permanent disability, you are eligible for a PWD ID in the Philippines. 

A permanent disability may be described as long-term impairments. So if you have been diagnosed with cancer, you are qualified for a PWD ID.

Section 25 of the NICCA (National Integrated Cancer Control Act) also states that “cancer patients, persons living with cancer, and cancer survivors” are all considered persons with disabilities.¹  

What Is the NICCA?

The National Integrated Cancer Control Act or NICCA is an existing law in the Philippines which aims to do the following:

  • Decrease mortality and incidence of preventable cancers,
  • Prevent recurrence, spread, or metastases,
  • Improve accessibility of cancer care treatment in the country, and;
  • Improve experience of cancer care treatment, recovery, and reintegration to society.

Overall, the NICCA aims to strengthen programs that can help in the goals listed above! 

How to Apply for the PWD ID Card in the Philippines:

#1 Prepare the PWD ID Requirements  

  • Two 1×1 pictures, taken recently. There must be signatures or thumb marks behind the pictures.
  • One valid ID. 
  • Any document that can confirm the disability or medical condition, such as a medical certificate. This document must come from a licensed private or government physician. 

#2 Accomplish the PWD Form

You may do this in two ways: 

  1. Manually, by obtaining the form in any PWD Registration Center in the country, or;
  2. Online, through the PWD-RF online registration system. 

Here’s how you can do both easily! 

2A. Manual PWD ID Registration

  • Fill up the form at any PWD Registration Center in the Philippines. 
  • After filling up the form completely, attach the 1×1 pictures. Affix one onto the form, then staple the remaining picture onto the document. 
  • Attach the proof of medical condition or disability. 
  • Submit the completed PWD ID form to the registration center.   

2B. Online PWD ID Registration

  • Register an account into the Department of Health’s Philippine Registry for Persons with Disability. You can click on the link here to access the site instantly!
  • After you have registered an account, enter the required PWD ID information. 
  • Print the accomplished PWD ID registration form. 
  • Attach one 1×1 picture to the form, then staple the remaining 1xt picture onto the document.
  • Attach a copy of your medical certificate or other documents that prove your medical condition or disability. 

#3 Submit the PWD ID Registration Form 

The form can be submitted to the following government authorities:

  • City mayor 
  • Municipal mayor 
  • Barangay captain

Your registration form is now in the government’s hands! 

This time, the mayor or barangay captain will be the ones to assign a PWD number and fill up some information for your PWD ID. 

After everything has been completed on their end, they can now issue your ID to you. 

Congratulations! You’re now a PWD ID holder in the Philippines. All that’s left next is to unlock the benefits that you can get with your ID. 

What Are the PWD Benefits in the Philippines?  

So, what are the benefits that you can get from having a PWD card?

According to the Republic Act No. 10754, you can have the following privileges and benefits with the PWD ID:

  1. At least twenty percent (20%) discount on different sales and services. This includes medical and dental services, medicine, fare for land, air, and sea travel, and funeral and burial services. You may already be familiar with the 20% discount in restaurants as well!
  2. Educational assistance, provided that the PWD meets minimum admission requirements.
  3. Special discounts on basic commodities.
  4. Express lanes in establishments. 
  5. Continuation of benefits from GSIS, SSS, and Pag-IBIG.

There are also incentives for the carer of a PWD in the Philippines. PWDs can be treated as dependents of a taxpayer. 

The said taxpayer can then have the special privileges granted in the Code.²

How Long is the Validity of the PWD ID Card?

Your PWD ID is only valid for up to three years. After that, you have to renew your PWD ID to access the same benefits. 

How To Renew Your PWD ID Card

If your card has now expired, you can renew it by filling out the same application form for new users. Complete the form before attaching your expired PWD ID onto the document. 

Prepare both 2×2 and 1×1 pictures. Then, you have to pay a renewal fee. 

It’s as easy as that! You can then expect your renewed PWD ID card in a matter of weeks. 

Other Financial Assistance Options for Filipino Cancer Patients and Survivors

Aside from the PWD card, there are other financial assistance programs Filipino cancer patients and survivors can get in the country. We listed down some of them below:

  • The DOH-Medical Assistance Program 

Get financial support from the Department of Health through their medical assistance program! However, you do either have to be a PhilHealth member, or endorsed by the DSWD. 

You only have to meet the patient profile and have the following requirements ready:

  • Diagnosis history
  • Plan of treatment/doctor’s report
  • Prescription and drug prices
  • A letter requesting financial assistance
  • A photocopy of an identification card with latest picture and signature
  • PCSO’s Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP)

The PCSO’s Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP) provides financial assistance for cancer treatments, such as:

  • Chemotherapy,
  • Hormonal therapy, 
  • Targeted therapy, and; 
  • Immunotherapy

To be able to avail of the following treatments, you have to provide:

  • Valid IDs
  • Accomplished PCSO Individual Medical Assistance Program application form
  • Original copy of the statement of account
  • Endorsement from medical social services
  • Relevant laboratory results
  • Progress notes from a physician
  • Medical abstract and histopath
  • Biopsy results for chemotherapy patients.

After submitting the documentary requirements, the patient is interviewed by a PCSO IMAP representative.

You can reapply for assistance 30 days after getting a subsidy.

  • SSS Philippines Medical Assistance

Social Security Service (SSS) members are entitled to disability benefits.

Home-confined patients can reimburse treatment expenses from SSS by notifying their employer. The employer is the one that can file for reimbursement. PhilHealth members can also have their benefits pay for part of their hospital bill by submitting a filled-out PhilHealth Claim Form 1 before discharge.

  • NGO Medical Assistance

Breast cancer organizations in the Philippines such as the Pink for Life and Soroptimist Ortigas Foundations provide assistance for Stage 1 and 2 breast cancer patients. 

If you’re interested, you only have to submit a pathology report, patient details and list of medicines or chemotherapy agents by fax to 6365578 or by email via info@icanservefoundation.org.

Indigent patients can get free medicines from the Louie Jacinto Foundation or Kythe Foundation by submitting a proof of income or a certificate of indigency issued by the barangay office. 

The foundation gives checks payable to the billing department of the hospital where the patient is confined to get free medicines until they are discharged or have fully recovered.

In Conclusion

The PWD ID card is quite straightforward for anyone who wishes to register! Remember that you can register at your own convenience either manually or through online processing. 

Read more about financial assistance.

Aside from the PWD ID card, you can also access different medical assistance programs provided that you meet the criteria and have the necessary documents. 

We hope you learned more from this article! Are you on your way to get your own PWD ID soon?

Resources:

  1. National Council on Disability Affairs. RA 11215 – An Act Institutionalizing A National Integrated Cancer Program And Appropriating Funds Therefor : National Council on Disability Affairs. (2018, December 18). Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/republic-acts/ra-11215/ 
  2. RA 10754 – an act expanding the benefits and privileges of persons … National Council on Disability Affairs. (2016, March 16). Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws/republic-acts/republic-act-no-10754-an-act-expanding-the-benefits-and-privileges-of-persons-with-disability-pwd/ 

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