Dignity by design

In the Philippines, dignity is treated like a personality trait.

- NIGHT OWL ANNA MAE YU LAMENTILLO

If you can endure the commute—squeeze into a jeep, climb footbridges, dodge broken sidewalks, and thread through traffic—you are called “madiskarte.” We celebrate resilience because we have to.But dignity should not be earned through hardship. In a well-designed place, it is built into the ordinary: curbs without sudden drops, crossings that give you time to walk, buses you can board without a risky climb. It is there when a grandmother can travel alone without asking for help, and when children can be outdoors without adults treating the street like a threat.

“Dignity by design” means infrastructure that does not humiliate people as the price of getting through the day. It does not reserve independence for the young and able-bodied. It is planned around those with the least margin for risk—because when you build for the most marginalized, the whole system becomes safer and easier for everyone.

The Philippines already has laws that point in this direction. The Accessibility Law (Batas Pambansa Bldg. 344) requires access features in buildings and public utilities. The Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (Republic Act 7277) frames disability rights as equal rights and calls for integration into everyday life. Yet in many places these principles become theater: ramps blocked by obstacles; sidewalks taken by parking; footbridges replacing safe crossings; and elevators missing, broken, or ignored.