The Glory behind the Pain

Future looks bright for 23-year-old Lourdes Borgonia. Shy and timid, she excelled in academics and sports, garnering several scholastic awards and considered the best female volleyball player in high school. She then breezed through college and graduated from the largest information technology school in the country.

Lourdes badly wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but she totally lost her sight due to a congenital cataract back when she was just a young girl. Fortunately, Lourdes did not sulk about her situation and instead put her skills in info-communications to good use. Last month, she competed as one of the Philippine delegates at the 6th International Abilympics held in New Delhi, India.

"I really want to be a good programmer and develop a practical local screen reader program," says Lourdes, who competed for the gold in the www Pages and English Text Processing categories.

There were 17 local delegates with permanent disabilities who competed, and high expectations were met with success. The Philipppine team finished sixth overall among 32 participating countries.

All of the competitors are national winners of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (tesda) Philippine National Skills Competition held in Davao in 2001. The participants then underwent rigid training for several months, including the physical and emotional aspects.

Derived from Ability and Olympics, the first international event took place in Tokyo, Japan in 1981 to commemorate the United Nation’s International Year of Disabled Persons. It was such a success that it has since been held in Columbia, Hong Kong, Australia, and Prague in the Czech Republic.

The Abilympics aims to raise consciousness about the employment of people with disabilities and usually includes competitions of occupational and recreational skills, a conference on issues and trends on employment, and the exhibition of products and assistive technology.

The Philippines has done fairly well in past competitions too, winning numerous bronze medals in different categories. Only one gold was ever won before this year’s event, however, back in 2000. This year, organizers led by the Abilympics Philippines fielded the cream of the crop from different areas nationwide, resulting in the country’s highest medal harvest.

Jose dela Cruz won two golds for painting (oil and watercolor), giving the Philippines its first gold in more than three years. Bronze medals went to Ervin Reyes for webpage creation, Dennis Balan for photography, and Dante Porsuelo for painting. Dante Reuyan and Manny Bagsit bagged silver medals in the waste reuse and floral arrangement competitions, respectively.

"I’ve always been interested in flowers," Manny, 20, imparts through sign language. "I have been decorating and arranging since high school and I’ve had a lot of practice already." Deaf since birth, Manny’s affinity with flowers has brought him success in flower arranging competitions and demons-trations. His floristry services are also much in demand during the May festivals and other special occasions in his hometown of Batangas City.

There are no alliances here. It’s just one big happy family. The delegates go out of their way to help each other and they seem very fond of each other. They’re one group with one purpose–to bring out the best in their respective skills," says Nelia De Jesus, a project development officer for the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons. "The general purpose of Abilympics Philippines is to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities by promoting equality through participation in innovative opportunities for work and environment. This facilitates their integration in mainstream society."

"We are all very close with each other," adds Manny, "and we find ways to communicate effectively with the other delegates. I can’t hear so I write down messages for those who don’t know sign language. And one of them reads it out loud so that Lourdes can understand what I’m talking about. It’s quite fun, really."

Like Manny, Dennis Balan was born deaf and attended special schools to finish his studies. But his keen eye and sense of artistry in theater and dance has brought him plenty of honors–including this year’s Abylimpic bronze medal in photography.

The 2000 Apolinario Mabini Awardee was founding member and principal dancer of International Teatro Silencio Filipinas and has performed in Denmark, Germany, Italy, France. It is through his savings as a performer that he is able to afford his hobby of photography. He participated in various contests and won several of them.

"I’m just blessed I was able to join the Abilympics this year. And I’m glad to bring honor to the country," Dennis says through sign-language.

These delegates are not only contending for the gold and glory of winning but they are also widening public awareness and understanding of the distinctive talents and capabilities of disabled persons. Each participant has his or her own inspiration.

"We’re just a bunch of ordinary people if you take a closer look at us. Some may not be able to see, or walk, or hear, but we all have the same skills and talents as the next person," says 31-year-old Arsenio Milagroso, who hails from Bailete, Malolos, Bulacan. He was afflicted with polio at age three which left him orthopedically handicapped. But he has never regretted such a disability.

Gifted with able hands and a knowledge of computers, Arcie graduated with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering. He worked for a textile company for about a year, and now teaches electronics at the Bulacan State University. Next on Arcie’s agenda: getting married.

There were 25 events in this year’s Abilympics. The Philippines had participants in many of them, namely Gil Alfeche in Mechanical CADD and Tie Dye, Hospicio Arcala in Tailoring and Tie Dye, Marvenice Asuncion and Ervin Reyes joined Lourdes in English Text Processing and Desktop Publishing, Dennis Balan in Photography, Jose dela Cruz in Painting, Simeon Malicdan in jewelry making, Lino Onnon in Wood Carving, Shirley Pablo in Embroidery and Water Reuse, Brigida Padilan in Dressmaking, Maria Shiela Padilla in Cake Decoration, Dante Porsuelo in Poster Design and Oil Painting and Emmanuel Tagalicud in Cabinet Making.

"When I reflect on it, parang hindi ako makapaniwala na nakasama ako dito. But we’re not doing this just for us. We are all representing the Philippines as well. This is a big thing," Lourdes says.

"Yes it is," Arcie agrees, "but we must also remember that we are here not to flaunt what we can do with a paintbrush or a needle or a computer. We are here to let the whole world know that people with disabilities are just as useful and important as those with none. That’s the main thing we should always think about."