RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PROVISION OF TRANSPORTATION SUPPORT TO NCDA SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBERS REPRESENTING CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
WHEREAS, the Philippines is a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD);
WHEREAS, Article 4.3 of the UNCRPD mandates States Parties to closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organizations in the development and implementation of legislation and policies, and in other decision-making processes concerning issues relating to persons with disabilities;
WHEREAS, Article 29 of the UNCRPD further obliges States Parties to guarantee to persons with disabilities political rights and the opportunity to enjoy them on an equal basis with others, including through active promotion of an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, without discrimination and on an equal basis with others;
WHEREAS, the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), created by virtue of Executive Order No. 709, is the lead government agency for the formulation of policies and the coordination of activities for persons with disabilities;
WHEREAS, E.O. 709 provides for the creation of various Sub-Committees under the NCDA, which may be composed of relevant government agencies and other experts on their specific areas of concern, and which membership is formally constituted by virtue of Board Resolution;
WHEREAS, consistent with the principle of “nothing about us without us,” Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) have been formally constituted as members of NCDA Sub-Committees, contributing not merely as advocates but as experts with lived experience of disability;
WHEREAS, participation in sub-committee meetings entails significant personal cost — financial, temporal, and in terms of the unique access and mobility challenges faced by persons with disabilities — that operate as additional barriers to consistent and meaningful participation;
WHEREAS, these participation barriers, if left unaddressed, undermine the genuine operationalization of CRPD obligations on inclusive and participatory governance, and are inconsistent with NCDA’s mandate to promote the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities;
WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7277, as amended, and its implementing rules recognize the State’s obligation to support the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social, political, and civic life;
WHEREAS, Section 31 of RA 7277 promotes ensuring the active participation of persons with disabilities and their organizations;
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the NCDA to ensure that disability governance is informed by, and remains responsive to, the realities experienced by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations;
WHEREAS, the provision of transportation support to CSO and OPD representatives attending officially-called NCDA Sub-Committee meetings constitutes a legitimate program expense incidental to the NCDA’s official sub-committee operations, chargeable to the agency’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) appropriation under the applicable General Appropriations Act;
WHEREAS, NCDA Board Resolution No.4 S.2024, “A Resolution Delegating Approval of Succeeding Council Resolutions and/or its Equivalent to the National Council on Disability Affairs Chairperson and Designated Officials”, duly authorized the NCDA Chairperson and the NCDA Executive Director to sign this Resolution for and on behalf of the NCDA Governing Board.
NOW, THEREFORE, RESOLVED as it is hereby resolved, that transportation support in the form of reimbursement of actual expenses (hereinafter referred to as “transportation support”) shall be provided to officially constituted CSO and OPD representatives attending duly called NCDA Sub-Committee meetings, in recognition of the participation costs uniquely borne by persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the exercise of disability governance functions;
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the transportation support shall be charged to the NCDA’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) appropriation, specifically under the budget line for sub-committee and coordination activities, subject to the availability of funds and the usual government budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations;
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the NCDA Executive Director, in coordination with the Finance and Administrative Division, is hereby authorized and directed to issue the necessary implementing guidelines governing the rates, coverage, eligibility, frequency, and documentary requirements for the transportation support herein authorized, consistent with existing Commission on Audit (COA) rules and regulations on government disbursements;
RESOLVED FURTHER, that for purposes of this Resolution, “CSO and OPD representatives” shall refer to individuals formally endorsed by civil society organizations and organizations of persons with disabilities as their official representatives to sub-committee meetings to which said CSOs and OPDs are formally invited to, whether as permanent members or as guests who are invited as subject matter experts or to represent vital stakeholder interests on a concern included in the agenda as sent out by NCDA, and who are not otherwise receiving salaries, per diems, or transportation benefits from the government by reason of their sub-committee membership. For purposes of this resolution, “formally endorsed” shall mean that an official communication, issued by the concerned CSO or OPD through its duly authorized officer, has been submitted to NCDA identifying the individual attendee as the authorized representative to the meeting, either by replying to the Notice of Meeting or through a separate formal correspondence;
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the release of transportation support shall be supported by the following documentary requirements: (a) official sub-committee meeting notice or invitation; (b) certificate of physical attendance or appearance; (c) actual transportation receipts, or in the absence thereof, a Certification of Expenses Not Requiring Receipts (CENRR) in accordance with applicable COA regulations; and (d) other supporting documents as may be required by COA or existing accounting and auditing rules.”
RESOLVED FURTHER, that CSOs and OPDs shall at all times be given the option to attend and be represented in meetings virtually;
RESOLVED, FINALLY, that the NCDA Secretariat is directed to cause the dissemination of this Resolution and its implementing guidelines to all concerned Sub-Committee Chairpersons and CSO/OPD member-representatives.
APPROVED held this _____ day of ____ 2026 during the NCDA Board Meeting held at Bayview Hotel, City of Manila.
GLENDA D. RELOVA
Executive Director, NCDA
REX GATCHALIAN
DSWD Secretary & Chairperson, NCDA