Persons with disabilities (PWDs) listen to advice from employers during the Disability Employment Confidence Training at the Ayala Mall.
(CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Ramon Panganiban, a 34-year-old former taxi driver, recalled the accident in which his cab rammed a bus. His lower left leg had to be amputated.
“I don’t understand how losing a leg would make employers believe that I am incapable of typing or filing, or doing basic secretarial jobs like stapling,” said Panganiban, who applied for a job in more than 10 job fairs.
Panganiban was one of hundreds of PWDs in Cebu who attended the PWD Employment Seminar in Ayala Center Cebu last July 17.
“In order for us to be the best that we can be, people must allow us to have the same opportunities as everyone else. This is what we fight for everyday,” said Gladys Dublin of the PWD Federation in Cebu Province.
The employment seminar helped PWDs understand the realities of the job market.
They were taught to identify which jobs would suit them best, and were advised to seek jobs that were not too strenuous as well.
Suzanne Ardosa of Cebu City Hall’s manpower department said PWDs could apply for vacant positions in the city government since City Hall does not discriminate against those who have disabilities.
“We strongly believe that being disabled should not disable you from working at all. If you can do the job right, then we are going to hire you,” Ardosa said.
Ester Concha, chief of City Hall’s Department of Social Welfare Services (DSWS), told reporters that with the Magna Carta for PWDs they should assert their rights whenever they are set aside by potential employers without valid basis.
The employment seminar also covered talks with employers who deal with PWDs such as Sarrosa Hotel and Qualfon. It also shared tips on how to get hired.
“Now I see that I have options. I have not given up just yet. I know I can do anything I want because I am an able-bodied person,” Panganiban told Cebu Daily News./UP Cebu Intern Juli Ann M. Sibi