The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa joins the observance of the Autism Consiousness Week being held every third week of January of each year, pursuant to Proclamation No. 711, series of 1996.

 Proclamation No. 711 declares and states that:

• There is a growing incidence of autism among Filipinos, necessitating more people from different sectors to become aware of this disability;

• It is the aim of the Philippine Government to develop awareness of the problems of autistic persons and promote a supportive environment among communities to enable autistic persons to live with dignity and enable them to function independently and contribute productively to society;

• The growing number of autistic persons has spawned the need for early diagnosis, therapy and education intervention to help them and their families manage the lifelong disability; and

• The government recognizes the need to provide greater attention and assistance to the plight of autistic persons and mobilize its various agencies and departments, especially the Department of Health, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to look into how they can meaningfully support community-based approaches toward providing early diagnosis, therapy and education intervention to autistic persons

The lead agencies in the government's initiative are the DOH, DepEd, DSWD and the DILG. Together with the Autism Society Philippines, which is the national umbrella organization of parents and families affected by autism, the lead agencies and other members of the National Working Committee will spearhead the observance of the week.

According to the National Commission on Disability Affairs (NCDA), an estimated 600,000 families are affected by autism in the Philippines.

As such, the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa encourages everyone to support Autism Consciousness Week by promoting awareness of the problems of autism, and nurturing supportive environments for those who have been diagnosed with autism, so that those with autism can live independently, with dignity. Those with autism should also be given the opportunity to contribute, and be recognized for their positive contributions to the development of society. –end-