The Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc. (FTI) is currently collaborating
with two organizations in Cagayan De Oro. One is BLIND Inc. (Blinds Living in
New Direction Inc.), a massage clinic and training center based in the center of
Cagayan de Oro, which helps provide livelihoods for blind and visually impaired
persons by providing training and jobs as massage therapists. The other is the
CDO These-Abled Producers Cooperative, a livelihood and housing project for
Persons with Disabilities and vulnerable persons, set up in response to Typhoon
Sendong, that claimed thousands of lives and caused catastrophic damage in the
area in December 2011.
BLIND Inc. has existed for a number of years already. The initial work began in
1999 and now has 43 active members, 12 full-time staff and 31 on-call
therapists. Rolando G. Damaolao, 41 yrs old, is the leader and founder of BLIND
Inc. He and his wife Grace live together with their two children and Lando’s two
children from a previous. Rolando became blind in a basketball accident at the
age of 18 when another player hit him in the eye with his elbow. He first became
totally blind in his left eye. Two and a half months later an infection spread from
his left eye to his right eye and as a result of this he became completely blind. His
hopes of becoming a priest now shattered he tried to commit suicide 3 times.
Eventually with the help of friends and family he learnt to accept his situation
and found a purpose in life through his faith and sharing that faith with others.
He soon started training as a massage therapist in Cebu and worked there for
some years. In 1998 came to set up a private clinic for blind massage therapists
and in 1999 he established Blind Inc, which has been run as an NGO since the
beginning.
Rolando is no stranger to discrimination. He recalls an episode when he wasn’t
allowed to enter a mall and was sent away by the guards, but finds the situation
much better today. “ I now receive discounts at malls and I have a PWD card. I
even get invited to SM mall every six months to give talks about how to handle
customers with special needs.” He’s also a host on a radio program that does
advocacy for PWDs and educates people on various topics concerning PWDs.
“Through the radio I can reach people in remote provinces,” he explains. He is
also able to help poor families and prisoners by giving free training in massage
therapy. One of his dreams for the future is to be able to offer more help in
computer training for the blind.
Rolando used to have very good hearing but he had a cyst removed from his left
ear 2 years ago and has lost some of his hearing in that ear. But he continues to
be positive. “I am proud of my disability now because I am able to help people
earn a livelihood. Before I just wanted to die but now I can move around using a
cane, I can travel alone, I can even cross the road by myself: I also enjoys a range
of sports activities; table tennis, running, goal ball...” “My advice to other PWDs is
to get out of the house, join a PWD organization and to get skills training,” he
says
Alexander Pagadatan, 23, is one of the massage therapists at BLIND Inc. He
became blind at the age of 3 due to complications caused by measles. His family
could not afford to give him treatment. When he was 7 years old when his
parents sent him away and he was raised by a preacher who cared for him and
helped him get an education. Alexander found it hard to accept his blindness
while he growing up. “ I could not do the things I wanted to do. I couldn’t be
independent and I was teased. Even my parents could not accept me and told me
I was worthless. I had very low self esteem.”
Despite the hardships he has endured, Alexander has been able to secure himself
a good education (he is educated until the 2nd year of college) and reads and
writes brail and even teaches it to others.
After college he started to study to become a massage therapist in Davao and at
Blind Inc. He has now been working at BLIND Inc. for four months. “I feel happier
now,” he says. “I like my job and like to be with other blind people.” He now lives
at the clinic with a colleague. “I can survive completely independently. I can go
shopping on my own. I also enjoy sports such as goal ball and running. My dream
for the future is to save money and get married.”
He still experiences discrimination. People say things in the streets, sometimes
shouting bad words at him. “It still affects me”, he says. “Once, a fellow student
asked, “Why do blind people go to school and why should blind people have the
right to study?” It made me so angry. My advice to other PWDs is to not loose
hope and to not forget God. Go on with your lives and do not forget to pray and
ask God for guidance.”
Gracia Bautista, 30, is another massage therapist at BLIND Inc. She was 12 years
old when she became blind. Although born with eye problems, it was blow to her
head from an accident at eventually caused her to become completely blind due
to retinal detachment. After the accident her whole world fell apart. “I had big
ambitions for my life and then I became blind,” she says. “In the first year my
friends would come to visit me. After that only my relatives would visit. At the
age of 14 I just wanted to commit suicide.” She studied brail for a while but she
got bored and didn’t continue. She wasn’t encouraged to study either. “People
said it was useless to go to school because I was blind and that it was better for
me just to stay at home. So that’s what I did. I would just stay at home. I never
went out.”
Things changed though when at the age of 23 she made the decision to venture
out of her home and started working as a massage therapist. She’s been at BLIND
Inc. since 2010 and has even been their treasurer twice. “I’m happy that I have a
job now,” she says with a big smile, “of course I’m happy!”
Gracia reads and writes brail and is now taking a high school education through
the government program, Alternative Learning System. She has many dreams for
her future. “I’d like to finish my studies and learn to use a computer. I used to
want to study commerce and work in bank but now I’d rather have a job working
with computers. I also want to help my family – I can help support them even
though I am blind.” She now lives a life very similar to that of any other young
woman her age. She has a boyfriend. She enjoys sports – running, javelin
throwing, tug of war, long jump… She’d like to have two or three children one
day. She doesn’t think about suicide anymore. Her advice to other PWDs is “Don’t
loose hope. Pray to God because God has a special plan for you”.
CDO PWD CO (CDO Persons with Disabilities Producers Cooperative) has just
recently been established in San Simon, Cagayan De Oro just 30 mins from the
city centre. The project was started in 2012, some months after the deadly
Typhoon Sendong struck, causing rivers to burst and releasing flash floods that
wiped out entire communities. Many of the survivors were left without homes
and livelihoods. Based on the model of another FTI projects, the co-op SAFRA
ADAP (San Francisco Association of Differently Abled Persons) in Agusan Del Sur
in Mindanao, FTI bought a half hectar plot of land to start up a workshop in CDO.
The workshop produces prefabricated houses for the victims of Sendong,
prioritizing PWDs and employing mainly PWDs. The plan is to build 50 houses
on the land, in addition to the existing production area, the administrative office,
sari sari store and organic garden. In addition to this, ILO (International Labor
Organisation) has supported many of the members of the project with a cash for
work project in road contraction. They have donated a newly finished 30 metre
road leading to the CDO PWD CO.
Abraham Macarrio, 52, is the programme coordinator at CDO PWD CO and has
held the position for 1 year now. At the age of 3 he contracted polio. He used to
be able to walk with crutches but for many years but after an accident where he
slipped and broke his hip he has needed to use a wheelchair. Previously, he
worked at SIKAAP, another coop for PWDs where he was a welder. He’s always
been very involved in various organisations and co-ops for PWDs so it was a
natural step for him to advance to the position of project coordinator.
Being disabled Abraham has experienced that it can be very difficult to find work
and also finds it frustrating that traveling and getting around is so difficult
because of the lack of proper infrastructure for PWDs. But he does find that
people are helpful. “However sometimes people try to help but don’t ask what I
need, he says. “Sometimes I even get injured because people want to help but
they don’t do things the right way. So my advice is don’t help unless we ask for
help.”
Abraham is happy with the job he has and the responsibility it gives him as well
as the support it enables him to offer his wife and two adult children. “If I wasn’t
working here I would be selling cooked bananas (nilagang saging) on the
streets!” he jokes. “I really dream of this project succeeding and that a successful
cooperative comes out of the initiative,” he says adding, “But it seems that it’s not
only a dream but that it’s become a reality!”
Marlon Cabaluna, 26, got bone cancer at the age of 18 and had to have his right
leg amputated above the knee. He lives at home with his parents and siblings. He
made a decision early on not to let his disability affect him and luckily his family
and friends have been very supportive. He has had difficulty finding work though
and was unemployed from after he finished high school until December 2012
when he started working in construction at CDO PWD CO. He still dreams of
continuing his college studies and of working as an automotive mechanic but
he’s happy with his job because he can help his family. It was a friend from FTI
who encouraged him to apply for work at the project.
One aspect of the project that he likes very much is that he can work with other
people with disabilities. He offers his advice to other PWDs out there.” If you’re a
PWD come out of your house to join the work of PWDs at projects like this and
other projects you’ll find. Don’t feel shy to go out of your house to find work that
matches your situation and skills.”
Mercidita B. Delacruz, 42, became a widow nine years ago when her husband, a
miner, was shot while sleeping. What happened that night remains a mystery.
She is now a single mother to six children ages nine to twenty. Mercedita walks
with a limp as a result of the polio she contracted at the age of six. For many
years she worked as a laundry woman. A month ago she embarked on a new
opportunity managing the sari sari store at CDO PWD CO project site. “I like my
new job,” she says, “I have a better salary than before and the work is less
physically demanding.” She and her children live with her brother. “I dream of
one day owning my own home,” she says. “There are too many of us living at my
brothers place.”
Herby Macalolooy, 33, single, is the lead man of construction at CDO PWD CO. He
went to high school and almost finished but his family couldn’t afford for him to
continue, so he never graduated. Before starting at the co-op here he worked in
construction as a time keeper and stock clerk and also as a lead man. Herby
contracted polio at the age of one. He can use crutches but mainly uses a
wheelchair. One of his hobbies is playing wheelchair basketball and he
sometimes plays with other colleagues from the project.
“ It wasn’t easy growing up with polio, he tells. “When I was younger I
experienced discrimination – children would tease me. Now it’s easier.” Still,
finding work has always been a struggle and his dream for the future is to keep
working on the project. “It’s better than my old job because I’m the company of
other PWDs and my salary is also higher than before.” Herby currently lives on
the project site. “The project is good,” he says, “because it makes an
improvement in the area and people’s lives.”
The stories told by the members and employees of BLIND Inc and CDO PWD CO
shows how the strength and determination of its members has helped them to
improve their lives. They prove that PWDs are more than capable of making
meaningful contributions to their families and to society and that the efforts they
make individually and collectively are creating positive changes for the future.