A Proposed Pastoral Response Challenging the Exclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) Within the Philippine...

This study critically examines government policies supporting persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Philippines by analyzing their implementation, community participation outcomes, and lived experiences to assess persistent forms of social exclusion. Despite legal frameworks such as Republic Act No. 7277 (Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities) and Republic Act No. 10524 mandating equal employment opportunities, many PWDs continue to face structural, social, and cultural barriers that limit meaningful participation and awareness of their rights. Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching (CST), particularly the principles of human dignity, the common good, solidarity, and preferential concern for the marginalized, the paper proposes pastoral and ecclesial responses to ongoing exclusion. Employing the See-Judge-Act methodology, the study first analyzes current social realities affecting PWDs, then evaluates these conditions through the normative lens of CST, and finally articulates concrete pastoral actions. The findings underscore the Church's critical role in advocacy, accompaniment, and inclusive community-building to promote dignity, justice, and full participation for persons with disabilities.