MANDALUYONG CITY DISABILITY CELEBRATION & PROGRAM

   On Monday, we went to Mandaluyong City Hall for a Disability Program. This is the 34th year of this celebration honoring both the disabled and the City Employees and Volunteers that work very hard in helping the disabled. Wennah Marquez is the employee that we work with in the city. She is head of the PWD division for Mandaluyong but to us she is one of the most valuable assets we have. She is our go to person whenever we need help with intermediate wheelchairs. We only have 16 assessors to do this work and it takes a couple of hours to properly assess a patient. I try to give her as much support as possible because of all that she does for us.
   We start to greet all that are there, but we always migrate to the disabled children. They are bright, happy and always so respectful. When you shake the hand of a child, they will sometimes take your hand and touch it to their foreheads. This is a sign of respect to adults. Not all children do this, but most of the disabled do. I have found this to a very humbling experience. This small gesture forms a bond between the two of you.
   The proceedings are under the direction of Mayor Benhur Abalos. He had a daughter die at the age of 17 from a severe infection. In her honor he formed a charity to help children's causes mostly in education, but his actions show his heart is in the right place.

 

   We have been invited to be with a group of children that have been fitted for our intermediate wheelchairs. Two of those recipients are shown in the picture below. These opportunities help to recognize LDS Charities but more importantly the LDS Church.

 

   There are approximately 94 million people in the Philippines. The number of disabled people worldwide averages about 10% of the population which equates to 9.4 million in the Philippines. Those that require a wheelchair make up 1% of the population, that means 940,000 people just in the
Philippines alone.

      

 

The program consisted of many awards presented to city employees and volunteers that work with the PWDs in the Mandaluyong area. The entertainment was provided by children in the community. The group above is a city children's choir that won many awards at a recent Asian competition in Thailand. The group below consists of disabled children performing song and dance with drum and lair providing the music. I am always thrilled at the abilities of the disabled.