CDC President and CEO Tugade (standing, 5th from left) and CILA President Banzon (standing, 3rd from left) beam at the camera after the signing of a memorandum of agreement that aims to boost the productivity of persons with disabilities (PWDs) from areas contiguous to the Clark Freeport.
Also present are officers of registered PWD organizations in Angeles and Mabalacat cities: (from left) Rowena Dela Cruz, Hilario Diaz, Michael Miranda, Alma Vital, Baby Carmelita Santos, and Joel Lagman.
Photo courtesy of CDC Public Relations Department
CLARK FREEPORT -Clark Development Corporation (CDC) President-CEO Arthur Tugade and Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) President Rene Banzon have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to boost the productivity of persons with disability (PWD) from areas around this freeport.
The signing was witnessed by the officers of registered PWD organizations in Angeles City and Mabalacat.
The CDC said “the MOA formalizes the commitment of both parties to join effort to go the extra mile in hiring persons with disabilities in Clark firms.”
“Both parties are to boost and achieve the objectives of the government as embodied under RA 7277 known as Magna Carta for Disabled Persons,” the CDC noted.
Under the MOA, both parties are to support the law for PWD “by pursuing initiatives and projects for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities to boost their abilities to have a more meaningful and productive life.”
CILA is a duly registered non-profit non-government organization formally established on February 22, 1996 composed of locators and investors in this freeport for the purpose of protecting the interest of its members, assisting locators to become globally competitive, and promoting the CFZ.
The undertaking covered by the MOA is called “Persons with Disabilities Employment in Clark Program” or (PWD-ECP).
Sonny Lopez, CDC’s public relations chief who initiated the program said “the PWD in contiguous communities of Clark are very thankful to Atty. Tugade for advancing and substantiating the program.”
During the signing, Tugade said ”I am serious in putting this MOA into action. A MOA is just pieces of paper until we bring life into it.”
“I am advising the physically challenged persons and those people around them to act normal. We are helping the physically challenged persons not because we pity them but we believe in their abilities,” he said.
Tugade added, “We are being more aggressive in advancing CSR matters. For one thing, I have specifically pressed that provisions for hiring indigenous persons and PWD be included in agreements with new locators.
So far some are very willing.”
“Gusto ko rin baguhin ang pananaw na hanggang utility services at pa-vendor vendor na lang sila. We should give them meaningful jobs and preparations for better jobs,” he stressed.
He also said that “with the help of the MCAC LGUs we will prepare them so that they will be ready for the impending influx of job opportunities”.
For his part, Banzon said “We will immediately disseminate the details about this MOA to all locator members and by the end of June, the implementation of this MOA will be thoroughly discussed in the CILA general membership assembly.”
“We are contemplating on a special kind of jobs fair where we can really give opportunities to the PWD in areas contiguous to the CFZ,” he added.
