QuestionsQuestions (PROCLAMATION NO. 688)
Proclamation No. 688 is issued by the President (Benigno S. Aquino III) “by virtue of the powers vested in me by law,” and it is anchored on prior proclamations and international commitments, including Proclamation No. 125 (s. 1993) and Proclamation No. 240 (s. 2002), as well as the Ministerial Declaration and the Incheon Strategy adopted in Incheon in 2012.
It recognized that Proclamation No. 125 (s. 1993) covered 1993–2002, and Proclamation No. 240 (s. 2002) covered 2003–2012, both related to the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities.
It references the Ministerial Declaration on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities, 2013–2022, and the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (“Incheon Strategy”).
The proclamation declares 2013–2022 as the “Philippine Decade of ‘Make the Right Real’ for Persons with Disabilities,” in support of the 3rd Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities.
The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) is directed to lead disability-related efforts.
The NCDA must formulate and issue a comprehensive National Plan of Action for the Decade (“National Plan”), translating the objectives of specified laws and other disability-related laws, programs, and policies into concrete programs, activities, and projects.
The proclamation specifically cites Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 and Republic Acts Nos. 7277, 9442, 10070, and 10524.
It means the NCDA should convert the policy goals and mandates of the cited disability laws (and other disability-related laws and policies) into specific, implementable initiatives under the National Plan for 2013–2022.
All departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the national government and local government units, in consultation with the private sector, civil society organizations, non-government organizations, and disabled peoples organizations.
Implementation must be “in accordance with the Incheon Strategy,” thereby translating its goals, targets, and indicators into the National Plan with achievable and measurable outputs.
It implies that the National Plan should include measurable results tied to the Incheon Strategy’s indicators, enabling performance tracking and assessment of program effectiveness.
It provides that the necessary funds shall be sourced from the appropriations of the concerned government agencies.
It promotes a participatory, multi-stakeholder approach in developing and implementing disability-related programs by involving civil society, NGOs, and DPOs alongside government agencies.
It serves as a policy framework/roadmap that the National Plan and all implementing agencies must align with, including its goals, targets, and indicators.
Although a proclamation is generally not a statute, it functions as an executive policy directive: it identifies lead agency responsibility (NCDA), mandates coordination and implementation by government units with consultations, and directs how implementation should be funded through existing agency appropriations.