PWD ID of 5-year-old PWD from Cainta not found in DOH database
The parents of a 5-year-old boy from Cainta, Rizal were dumbfounded when they discovered that their son's Persons with Disability (PWD) ID was allegedly not found in the Department of Health's (DOH) PWD online database.
According to Dino Versoza, the boy's father, the PWD ID of his son was not honored while they were dining at a restaurant in the province, because the record of his son was not found in the Health Department's online database.
The DOH recently launched the PWD online database following the increase in the number of individuals who use fake PWD IDs to avail of the benefits and discounts being given to legitimate PWDs.
"Nagulat kami dahil madalas naman kami kumain doon, siguro mga five times na. Pero nitong December 2024, hindi na-honor. Hindi raw valid (We were surprised because we usually eat there, and we have done so for five times already. But in December of 2024, the ID was not honored. They said it was not valid)," Versoza said, adding that the PWD ID of his son was issued in 2021 by the Valenzuela City Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO).
"Yung nangyari sa kidney niya is 70 percent na yung damage. Ang validity naman kasi ng PWD ID na ito is up to next year pa, 2026. Malaking bagay sa amin, lalo na siyempre sa tulad niya… May maintenance siya na gamot, 20 percent (His kidney is already 70 percent damaged and the validity of his PWD ID is until 2026. This ID is a big help to us since we have to purchase his maintenance medicines regularly. The ID mandates a 20 percent discount in all medicines and other services availed of by the user)," Versoza explained.
The Valenzuela PDAO later confirmed that the boy's PWD ID is legitimate. However, his record has not yet been encoded into the Health Department's online database by the Philippine Registry for Persons with Disability.
The DOH explained that it is possible for some PWD ID holders to see the "no records found" in its database because the details of the holder may have not been uploaded yet into the registry or the inputted number is wrong, particularly those who have obtained their PWD IDs during the pandemic.
It urged PWD ID holders whose records were not available to coordinate with the respective PDAOs that issued their cards.