Alarmed over rising cases, senators push for bill creating gov’t funded Center for Autism  

 
Senators are now keen on pushing the passage of a bill seeking to establish the country’s first ever Center for Autism as the number of cases of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the Philippines rises. 
 
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Senators Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, and Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada have each filed separate bills seeking to establish the Center for Autism that would be funded by the government to help alleviate the burden for indigent patients and their families. 
 
Zubiri noted that the cases of autism spectrum disorder in the Philippines have been steadily climbing in the past 10 years. Citing the Department of Health (DOH) statistics, the number of Filipinos on the spectrum has ballooned from five hundred thousand in 2008 to one million in April 2018, “and that is only from a limited statistical tool.”
 
“As this number continues to rise, it is imperative that the Philippine government finally recognize the prevalence of autism, and provide much-needed services to people living with it,” Zubiri said in filing Senate Bill No. 611. 
 
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting a person’s communicative and interactive abilities and symptoms often manifests from early childhood. 
 
“There is, at the moment, no identifiable cause for it, and as such, no cure. Even so, we can ensure that people on the spectrum receive proper, personalized treatment such as applied behavioral analysis, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and verbal behavior therapy,” Zubiri pointed out.
 
However, Zubiri said these treatments remain financially inaccessible for many patients. Citing a 2014 study, the Senate leader said researchers in the United States and United Kingdom estimated that expenses for lifelong care of an individual with autism can reach up to $2.4-milion. Making it a “costly burden.”
 
“A government-funded Center of Autism will help alleviate some of that burden, especially for indigent patients and their families,” he stressed.
 
“The establishment of a Center for Autism will answer the needs of people dealing with autism, as it will offer accessible diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitation services, as well as vocationa training services to adults with autism,” Zubiri stressed.
 
“Thus, it is but proper to give significance and emphasis on the role of the government to take care of our children and adults who have autism and intellectual disabilities,” Ejercito, for his part, said in the explanatory note of his Senate Bill 2026. 
 
Under the measure Ejercito filed, the Center for Autism shall be governed by the National Autism Board (NAB) which shall be under the Office of the President. 
 
The NAB shall be composed of the representatives from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), Department pf Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons, Autism society of the Philippines, and parents of children and adults with autism.
 
Estrada, in filing Senate Bill No. 1031, also noted how the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that about one in 100 children has autism. The World Population Review, he said, also reported the increase in autism rates by country in 2022, showing the Philippines having autism rates of 81.8 per 10,000 people or 1 in 122 people. 
 
“The figures are alarming,” Estrada noted in the explanatory note of his bill.
 
“Recognizing the need to strengthen and promote the optimal health and well-being of people with autism, this proposed measure seeks the establishment of a Center for Autism which will focus on improving the quality of life of children and adults with autism,” Estrada said.
 
“The national government’s support and commitment are badly needed to improve the quality of life of people with autism,” he stressed.