Accessibility check: Barriers for PWD aspirants seen in national candidacy filing

MANILA, Philippines — How easy does the government make it for persons with disabilities to file a certificate of candidacy?

Sometimes the installation of a single ramp, or the widening of a path by a couple of inches, makes all the difference.

On the first two days of the filing period for the certificates of candidacy, no wheelchair-using aspirant for a national position showed up at the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) venue at the Manila Hotel. 

But two aspirants, both senior citizens, had visibly struggled as they climbed the steps to reach the stage where aspirants introduced themselves.

Former Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and an advocacy group championing disability inclusion told Philstar.com that the stage where aspirants present their platform and face the media has some accessibility issues, the most noticeable of which is the lack of a ramp.

Besides the absence of a lift for wheelchair access to the stage, the stairs beside the stage "may be difficult to navigate for individuals with mobility impairments," said Bless Adriano, convenor of Kasali Tayo, a group advocating for accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

"Though there are two railings, the width of the stairs might not be wide enough," Adriano added.

"The height of the stage could be a barrier for those who cannot use stairs. The absence of tactile indicators or contrasting colors on the stairs could make it challenging for individuals with visual impairments," she said.

Guanzon, who went to the COC filing site on Tuesday, October 1, said it would be difficult for wheelchair-using aspirants to get around the area. “If someone in a wheelchair files their candidacy, they'll have a hard time because they'll need someone to carry their wheelchair.”

“Then I don't know if they'll fit in the scanner [at the entrance]. And then when you go up on stage to present your programs, there's no ramp there either,” she said in mixed Filipino and English.

Adriano said the poll body’s overall setup for the filing of national candidacies “does not appear to accommodate individuals with different accessibility needs."

Philstar.com has reached out to Comelec for comment and will update this