Determination beyond disability

MANILA, Philippines - Rex Bernardo was afflicted with polio when he was five years old and just about to enter kindergarten. A wrongly administered vaccine damaged his nerves, causing lifelong damage – he lost his ability to walk.

Because of his disability, Rex’s parents kept him at home. He was never formally introduced as a son to visitors, and their family pictures did not include him.

Nevertheless, Rex did not feel that he was not loved by his family. Furthermore, his great faith kept him strong, and Rex never saw his disability as a hindrance to accomplishing great things in life.

Because of his disability, Rex did not receive formal schooling as a child, but was home-schooled instead by an aunt. At the early age of seven, he developed a love for reading, especially comic books.

By age 15, he decided that he wanted to be a writer. He started writing and submitting stories with illustrations to one of the biggest publishing houses in the Philippines. Rex’s first story was published two years and 76 rejection slips later. This milestone fuelled Rex’s drive and passion to make something better of his life. 

At age 20, Rex found the courage to ask his parents’ permission to go to school. It was a critical moment in Rex’s life and when his parents saw their son’s determination, they allowed him to pursue further studies.

Through a special admission exam, Rex got into Trinity College in Quezon City where he took up Psychology. He became an active school leader and campus politician and established the college’s first organization for the disabled. He also became a founding member of the Alyansa ng May Kapansanan sa Pilipinas (Alliance of People with Disabilities in the Philippines).

With sheer determination, Rex finished college and immediately went on to get his first master’s degree in management. In 2000, Rex applied for and was accepted as an AusAID scholar in Australia where he pursued masteral studies in Human Resources Management at the University of Sydney. There, Rex became one of the most outstanding students in his class. For his third master’s degree, this time in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Rex was a scholar of the Asian Development Bank.

After traveling, studying, and proving himself to the world, Rex made a triumphant return home to serve the people of his hometown in Daet, Camarines Norte. He is now director for research and development, marketing and promotions of Mabini College.

Because of his achievements, Rex received the Apolinario Mabini Presidential Award in August 2008, presented to him by President Arroyo at Malacañang. The premier award for the disabled in the Philippines, it is named after Apolinario Mabini, the “sublime paralytic” who, despite his disability, became one of the heroes of the Philippine revolution.

That same spirit and courage live on in Rex and many others like him who surmount whatever physical disability they may have and make a positive impact on society. In his acceptance speech after he received his award, Rex said, “Eighteen years ago, I would never imagine myself in this situation – here in Malacañang Palace, giving this acceptance speech. At the age of 20, I was still unschooled – just like the majority of people with disabilities in this country. I persevered to study and gain knowledge and in the process, had to endure the ridicule and insults of the unbelievers and insensitive sectors of our society. Yes, maybe I was uneducated but just like any individual, I still have my dreams and best of all, the human spirit that cannot be crippled by my frail physical condition.”

The writer is the Public Affairs Officer of the Australian Agency for International Development.