Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday vowed to expand employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) following the launch of the new DSWD-wide guidelines that guarantee inclusive hiring within the agency.

“Matagal na natin itong ginagawa. Pero kulang pa yan. Mas paiigtingin pa natin ang recruitment ng persons with disability para hindi lang manatili sa 1 percent ng regular at non-regular positions sa Departamento ang nakalaan sa kanila (We have been doing this for a time. But it is still not enough. We will intensify the recruitment of persons with disability so that the number of regular and non-regular positions in the department will not remain at 1 percent),” Gatchalian said during the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City.

One of the highlights of the celebration is the launching of DSWD’s Administrative Order (AO) 11, series of 2025, or the Guidelines on Inclusive Employment for Persons with Disability.

AO 11 institutionalizes inclusive employment at the DSWD’s Central and Field Offices, as well at its centers and residential care facilities (CRCFs).

Gatchalian said the effort is anchored on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to not leave anyone behind in the nation’s development.

“Hindi ito tokenism, symbolic gesture, o simpleng compliance lang (This is not tokenism. Symbolic gesture or just a simple compliance). These are real positions carved for them because we believe that persons with disabilities deserve a rightful place in the government workforce – dahil sila ang nagpapatunay na hindi hadlang ang kapansanan para makapaglingkod sa bayan (because they are proof that disability is never a hindrance to public service),” he said in his message.

Under the newly launched guidelines, the DSWD will ensure that at least 1 percent of all positions in DSWD as a government agency shall be reserved for persons with disability, thereby, promoting equal access to employment opportunities and fostering an inclusive work environment.

The 1 percent compliance is in accordance with Republic Act 10524 or An Act Expanding the Positions Reserved for Persons with Disability, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act 7277, as Amended, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Persons With Disability.

Gatchalian noted that 411 “Angels in Red Vests” or 1.01 percent of the DSWD’s 40,828 personnel nationwide are persons with disabilities.

Also stipulated in the guidelines is the capacity building for the Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Committee members and all HR officers on inclusive hiring, and training on basic sign language, as well as the proper use of auxiliary and assistive devices, among others.

“We are preparing our entire hiring ecosystem, not just to hire persons with disabilities but to support them, understand them, and grow with them. Because at the end of the day, we look at their abilities, not their disability,” Gatchalian said.

The DSWD chief also committed to lobbying the initiative to President Marcos to mandate all departments to adopt the guidelines and to make it a national policy.

“Alam niyo, ako (You know), I like disruption. I believe in shaking systems when they need to be shaken. Kaya ngayon (So, now), the DSWD will serve as a disruptor. Gagamitin natin itong administrative order natin (we will use our administrative order) not just to implement inclusive hiring inside our offices, but to push for it at the national level,” Gatchalian said. (PNA)