Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Monday (April 7) ordered an agency team to conduct a fact-finding on the alleged use of a mentally-challenged female person who was forced to be in a video that is against Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto.
“We have dispatched a fact-finding team to look into the reported malicious exploitation of a mentally-challenged person who was put on video and forced to say negative things against the incumbent mayor. And if proven true, the DSWD will take the lead in filing the case against those behind the video,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief pointed out that using persons with disabilities for political ends may be a violation of Republic Act No. 7610 or the “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.”
“We will treat that as exploitation and abuse of the person with disability and if proven true, we will see to it that the Department takes the lead in filing appropriate charges against the people behind this allegation,” Secretary Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief added: “Once again, the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable should not be exploited for the political gains of any candidate. As it is, our people with disabilities endure hardships day in and day out — they should be protected and aided, not abused.”
R.A. 7610 provides comprehensive measures to protect children from all forms of abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, and discrimination, including severe penalties for offenders and programs for prevention and treatment.
Under the R.A. 7610, the term “children” includes minors as well as adults who “are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition.”
R.A. 7610 also mandates national government agencies to protect minors and those with special needs from any form of abuse, including “cruelty or exploitation” and “other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development.”
In a now-viral video uploaded on the Journal Pasig Facebook page, a 57-year old woman who has been diagnosed with psychological disability said that she will no longer vote for Sotto as she has yet to receive any form of assistance from the incumbent mayor.
When asked if she would still vote for Sotto in the upcoming elections, the mentally-challenged woman answered in the negative and said that she would vote for the opposition candidate in Pasig City’s mayoralty race.
The person with disability’s niece has decried the malicious video saying that her aunt simply went to get free rice from a candidate in a neighboring barangay, but was told that she needed to record a video before she could leave.
Even the mother of the mentally-challenged woman was dismayed because her daughter has been distressed since the video was uploaded.
