Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and support groups from Valenzuela City took part in the recent MOVE Manila Fun Run 2011 in Quezon Memorial Circle as part of the observance of the 33^rd National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.

The Valenzuela Persons with Disabilities Federation (VPDF), an umbrella organization of PWDs in the city, led the 19-member delegation of the city to the event which was organized by the Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM).

According to its website, PARM is the national society of doctors in the Philippines who finished residency training program in Rehabilitation Medicine or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R).

The weekend outdoor activity sought to stir awareness and draw public support for various causes concerning the sector of PWDs, particularly the PARM Fund for the Upliftment of the Needy Differently-abled and the PARM-PMA Charity Rehab Clinic.

Mary Ann Dao of Barangay Ugong and Policarpio Dela Paz of Barangay Karuhatan, joined the 4.4-kilometer wheelchair race together with their assistors. The rest of the delegation, on the other hand, participated in the 3-kilometer run.

Hundreds of able-bodied individuals, including popular public figures such as TV personality Kuya Kim Atienza, sports celebrity Cris Tiu and “running priest” Fr. Robert Reyes shared the race course in Quezon City along with PWDs.

The social rights of PWDs gained signifant recognition in 1991 when Republic Act 7277, or the “Magna Carta for People with Disabilities” was signed and later on expanded by Republic Act 9442 in 2007.  The law stipulates “an act providing for the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled person and their integration into the mainstream of society.”

According to the latest data from the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), there are around 1,500 registered PWDs locally who are entitled to special privileges and discounts for their purchases.