President Aquino making a speech,
Attending the ceremony Ms. Corazon Juliano Soliman, Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Mr. Manuel V. Agcaoili and Ms. Angel G. Jocelyn C. Garcia,
President and Executive Vice-Presient of Tahanag Walang Hagdanan, Inc.
Ribbon Cutting by Minister Keizo Takewaka, Deputy Chief of the Embassy of Japan
and Mr. Jun Ynares, Governor of Rizal Province, witnessed by Mr. Agcaoili and Ms. Garcia
On 22 February 2013, President Benigno Aquino III visited a facility for persons with disabilities (PWDs) funded through the Embassy of Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) . President's visit took place on the occasion of the 40 th Anniversary of the proponent of the project, Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc (TWH) , an NGO that supports PWDs. In his message, President Aquino commended and thanked Japan for funding the new facility to support disabled people. He said that the facility will be an instrument to continue and sustain what TWH has started and will greatly contribute to its success.
Subsequently, the turn-over ceremony of “ The Project for Construction of Training Center for Persons with Disability ” was held, attended by Minister Keizo Takewaka, Deputy Chief of Mission. T he project amount s to US$ 91,127 (approximately 3.9 million pesos).
The ceremony was witnessed by Honorable Ms. Corazon Juliano Soliman, Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development, Mr. Manuel V. Agcaoili, President of Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Inc Mr. Jun Ynares, Governor of Rizal Province, and Mr. Ramon Ilagan, Mayor of the Municipality of Cainta.
In the Philippines, marginalized sectors of the society such as PWDs, are not necessarily funded sufficiently for education and employment. The facilities that provide special education or skills training to PWDs are also scarce throughout the Philippines.
Tahanang Walang Hagdanan is a non-government organization, established in 1973 that aims to uplift the lives of the PWDs and improve their standard of living through programs and services such as education, training and empowerment, livelihood, mobility, and medical assistance. Currently, more than 800 PWDs in the Rizal Province, are taking advantage of these services. Currently TWH is facing lack of space for trainings at the ir compound in Cainta, Rizal. PWDs have to have trainings at walkways, lobbies or small rooms of their dormitory.
With the grant assistance, TWH has construct ed a new training center with a capacity of 500 people, and also purchase d necessary equipment for training such as a projector and a screen . The new facility will be able to accommodate various training for around 3,800 people each year. TWH will also use the facility for tours designed to disseminate the conditions of PWDs and various activities of TWH to students and local business people.
The Government of Japan, as the top ODA donor for the Philippines, launched the GGP in the Philippines in 1989 for the purpose of reducing poverty and helping various communities engaged in grassroots activities. As of February 201 3 , 469 grassroots projects funded by GGP – ranging from roughly 1 to 4 million pesos – have been implemented by NGOs, local government units and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects so far amounts to US$ 22.6 million . Japan believes that this project will not only strengthen friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also contribute to fostering a strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines.
Japanese Version
-End-
