ILOILO CITY — A total of 290 senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the province of Iloilo received their customized wheelchairs and mobility devices courtesy of the Latter Day Saints Charities (LDSC) on Tuesday.
In a media interview, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) head Neneth Q. Pador said that this was the last batch of distribution to complete the 600 commitment of LDSC.
The distribution of wheelchairs started early 2017.
LDSC partnered with the Iloilo provincial government through the PSWDO last 2016 to distribute wheelchairs and other mobility devices to qualified PWDs and senior citizens in the province.
Padot said that some PSWDO personnel were deployed to identify and assess each recipient of the wheelchair. They also trained the beneficiaries and their family members or caregivers on how to use and take care of their wheelchairs.
She added that the beneficiaries or their family members were required to undergo community service for a couple of hours in their respective barangays.
Hernan Illastron of LDSC said they had chosen Iloilo province to be their project partner because of the provincial government’s commitment to promote the welfare of the PWDs and senior citizens.
He stressed that they were still interested to enter another agreement if the provincial government would request more wheelchairs.
It can be recalled that the Iloilo province was conferred the 2017 Apolinario Mabini Award for Local Government by the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD), Inc. in recognition of its programs and projects for the PWDs.
The successful wheelchair distribution in partnership with LDSC was one of the major programs cited by the PFRD in giving the prestigious award to the province.
The Tuesday’s distribution of wheelchairs was conducted at the lobby of the Capitol. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
