Quezon City fights fake PWD claims with new registration system

Photo credit: Quezon City Government Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines—The Quezon City government, in collaboration with its Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO), has implemented a new registration system to combat fraudulent claims and improve the process of obtaining Persons with Disability (PWD) identification cards (IDs).

The new registration system utilizes the city’s online portal QC E-Services, where applicants are required to submit essential documents as proof of their disability.

“The improper use of PWD IDs to obtain discounts, by individuals who are not legitimate PWDs is completely unacceptable. To address this issue, we have implemented an automated registration system which makes the process more efficient and secure,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement on Thursday.

The digitized procedure eliminates the need for face-to-face interactions, thereby minimizing opportunities for favoritism or involvement of intermediaries.

Prior to the pandemic, the city had approximately 78,000 PWD ID holders. However, following the introduction of the new automated system, this number has decreased to over 52,000.

Belmonte also noted that out of the 7,000 applications that were rejected, a significant portion “contained counterfeit medical certificates or were submitted by individuals who did not qualify as a PWD.”

The city has been actively combating fraudulent PWD claims since 2020, even temporarily suspending the distribution of PWD IDs when it was discovered that six members of a single family held IDs in order to exploit the card’s discounts.

These incidents have prompted the government to take stringent measures and ensure that “assistance and support reach those who genuinely need it.”

Kirsten Segui, Inquirer.net trainee

RELATED STORIES:
QC targets 8,000 PWDs for 2023 subsidy program
DILG calls for stricter guidelines in issuing PWD cards
QC to impose stringent measures to screen applicants for PWD ID