BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 3
SERIES OF 2024
AMENDING NCDA BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 1, SERIES OF 2024,
“A RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING THE CRITERIA IN THE SELECTION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGO) REPRESENTATIVES TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY AFFAIRS(NCDA) BOARD”
WHEREAS, the NCDA Governing Board (the “Board”) approved NCDA Board Resolution No. 01 Series of 2024 (the “Board Resolution”) pertaining to the selection criteria of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representatives to the Board;
WHEREAS, pursuant thereto, the NCDA Secretariat publicly sought for nominations for such representatives;
WHEREAS, less than two weeks before the 15 March 2024 deadline for submission of nominations, the NCDA Secretariat received only one (1) nomination;
WHEREAS, on 11 March 2024, the NCDA Secretariat conducted a hybrid online and face-to-face orientation for NGOs on the selection criteria, wherein several of the attendees raised issues regarding the criteria laid out in the Board Resolution, particularly with regard to the requirement on the minimum number of years in operation as considering that there are emerging groups representing underrepresented sectors in the disability community, as well as clarifications pertaining to the parameters to determine whether or not an NGO has a nationwide presence, among others;
WHEREAS, NCDA believes in upholding the principles of inclusivity and in giving life to the disability community’s motto “nothing about us without us”, and acknowledges that disability is an evolving concept;
WHEREAS, the lack of nominations received by NCDA lends credence to the eligibility issues raised by the NGOs;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the NCDA
Governing Board adopts the following amendments to NCDA Board Resolution No. 01 Series of 2024, to wit:
(i) All references to a minimum requirement of five (5) years juridical existence, conduct of activities, or active involvement/advocacy are hereby reduced to three (3) years with a proven track record of involvement in the advocacy for the protection of Persons with Disability and in collaborating with government or other non-government and civil society organizations;
The same reduction from 5 years to 3 years shall be applicable to the Specific Criteria for the NGO representatives, amending for the purpose Section 1(A)(b), (B)(b) and (C)(b) of NCDA Board Resolution No. 01, s. 2024.
(ii) The requirement of having an affiliate chapter in more than 50% of the regions of the country for the category of NGOs with national networks of persons with disabilities is hereby amended to instead require the presence of at least one (1) affiliate chapter with headquarters/offices in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
(iii) The definition of Non-Governmental Organization in the 4th Whereas clause of the NCDA Board resolution is hereby amended to:
“Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with national network on Persons with Disabilities refers to an organization that operates independently of government control and has a focus on advocating for and supporting individuals with disabilities at a national level. The national network aspect implies that the NGO has an established presence of at least one (1) affiliate chapter with headquarters/offices in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This network allows collaboration, information sharing, and coordinated efforts to address the issues faced by persons with disabilities on the national scale”
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the following additional qualifications and clarifications as to the term of office of each Board Member from NGOs are to be adopted, to wit:
(i) Every three (3) years, NCDA shall conduct a call for nominations and select six (6) individuals to endorse to the President for appointment to the NCDA Governing Board as NGO representative;
(ii) Being a current Board Member does not preclude one’s nomination to the NCDA Governing Board in the next round of nominations, and NCDA is likewise not precluded from endorsing them to the President should they be chosen again following NCDA’s process for selection;
(iii) However, no NGO representative shall be endorsed to the President by NCDA for more than two (2) consecutive terms, nor shall the same individual, albeit representing different NGOs, be endorsed for more than two (2) consecutive terms, to ensure that the opportunity is distributed to different representatives accordingly.
RESOLVED, FINALLY, that the NCDA Secretariat shall submit to the NCDA Board a shortlist of not more than twelve (12) finalists from all applicants for final consideration by the Board Members.
APPROVED, this _____ day of ____ 2024 in Quezon City.
APPROVED BY:
REX GATCHALIAN
DSWD Secretary & Chairperson, NCDA
BENJO SANTOS M. BENAVIDEZ
Undersecretary
Department of Labor and Employment
ANNELI R. LONTOC
Undersecretary
Department of Transportation
ANA CAROLINA P. SANCHEZ
Undersecretary
Department of Trade and Industry
ATTY. RAUL T. VASQUEZ
Undersecretary
Department of Justice
MARIA CATALINA E. CABRAL
Undersecretary
Department of Public Works and Highways
JEFFREY IAN C. DY
Undersecretary
Department of Information and Communications Technology
DR. ANNA MARIE CELINA R. GARFIN
Director
Department of Health
GINA O. GONONG
Undersecretary
Department of Education
MARIA TERESA T. ALMOJUELA
Assistant Secretary
Department of Foreign Affairs
ANNA LIZA F. BONAGUA
Director
Department of the Interior and Local Government
JOSE A. TORRES JR.
Director-General
Philippine Information Agency
VIDAL D. VILLANUEVA III
Deputy Director-General
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
JAMES G. INFIESTO
Association of Differently Abled Persons, Inc.
FREDERICK CASTRO
Sector of Persons with Disabilities