BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Health–Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH- CAR) reported 6,799 newly encoded persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Philippine Registry for Persons with Disabilities (PRPWD) from January 1 to August 31, 2026.
Benguet posted the highest number of new registrations at 2,030, followed by Baguio City with 1,832 and Abra with 1,031. Ifugao recorded 619, Mountain Province 508, Kalinga 505, and Apayao 274. Shamgar Douglas Mangida Jr. of DOH-CHD CAR, presented the statistics during the 3rd Quarter Meeting of the Regional Committee on Disability Affairs) on September 17.
The figures reflect LGU-encoded entries through their Persons with Disability Affairs Offices(PDAO) and municipal social welfare offices under the DOH-managed PRPWD, which serves as the basis for PWD ID issuance and automatic PhilHealth coverage.
By disability type: physical, speech, psychosocial lead
Physical disability remained the most recorded category with 2,023 new entries, followed by speech impairment (1,251), psychosocial disability (895), cancer (847), visual impairment (510), mental disability (373), intellectual disability (296), hearing disability (285), learning disability (175), and rare diseases (144).
Mangida noted that cancer and rare diseases were previously classified under other categories but have been separately recorded since DOH rolled out PRPWD Version 4 in 2022, contributing to the rise in those counts.
Baguio’s high psychosocial count explained
Baguio City’s psychosocial disability tally of 503 compared with its mental disability count of 13 drew questions during the meeting.
City PDAO head Dr. Samuel Aquino explained that classification depends on the diagnosing physician’s medical certificate, with “psychosocial” covering both neurological disorders(like epilepsy, post-stroke conditions) and mental illnesses.
He said many cases stem from stroke-related neurological impairments and childhood conditions such as Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy, which specialists may certify under psychosocial rather than mental disability.
Baguio also continues to record high mental health concerns linked to suicide risk and HIV-related cases, he added.
The meeting also touched on the ongoing shift toward a unified, permanent PWD identification system. Under current rules, PWD IDs are valid for five years, but stakeholders raised concerns about inactive records and the lack of a clear mechanism to equate non-renewal with death.
The National Council on Disability Affairs which is now overseeing the PRPWD transfer from DOH, has issued Administrative Order No. 001, s. 2026 institutionalizing the Unified PWD ID System (UPWDIS), which aims to standardize ID issuance and verification nationwide.
Participants flagged service gaps, including the absence of speech therapists in Baguio’s public health facilities and the high cost of private speech therapy sessions (P800–P1,200 per session).
While physical and occupational therapy are available for up to 10 sessions at Baguio General Hospital, speech services remain limited, prompting calls for DOH support. **JDP/MAWC/PIA-CAR
