CALL Coordination Committee Meeting on the DPO Recommendations

On August 12, General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) partner, Center for Advocacy, Learning, and Livelihood (CALL) Foundation virtually conducted the second online coordination committee discussion to follow up on the adoption of DPO recommendations that were formulated during the first coordination meeting on April 9. CALL Foundation offered these recommendations to seven national government agencies including the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) through several virtual in-person meetings conducted from May to June. In the second coordination meeting, NCDA Executive Director, Emeritos Rojas, stated that the agency together with CALL Foundation will develop an advocacy plan to move forward with the implementation of the Enabling Masterplan action points related to employment. Labor and Employment Officer at DOLE, Stephanie Jaurigue said that DOLE will assess the inclusivity of its programs by referring to the existing disability-inclusive governance framework. She further said DOLE encourages DPOs to link with the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) to market products made by persons with disabilities in its portal. Forty-seven participants representing DPOs, CSOs, and the abovementioned government agencies attended the meeting including 28 female participants.