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| Photo credit to owner |
How far would a father go for his son? For Alejandro Palomeras, it's the gates of his son's elementary school in Pasig City.
But it's not the distance that's the problem. Polio-stricken Alejandro and his son Junior brave the busy streets to get to Pasig Elementary School in his wheelchair.
It's difficult enough to navigate the world when you're in a wheelchair, but Alejandro has to do so for the both of them.
In a Front Row documentary by GMA Public Affairs, Alejandro said that hiring a service to take Junior to school would affect their budget, which was why he decided to do it himself.
"Malakas pa naman ako, kinakaya ko. Saka noong araw, payat pa rin siya, kaya kahit itulak mo...OK lang," he said.
"Syempre, malaking bagay, kung ise-service ko siya mababawasan income namin," he added.
On the streets, they compete with cars and motorcycles, drawing glances from passersby and bystanders.
"Sinasakay ako ng Papa ko sa wheelchair. Paminsan naglalakad, o kaya sumasakay sa tricycle po pag nagkasakit Papa ko. OK lang po, paminsan hindi, nahihirapan kasi ako makaupo. Hindi ako makaupo ng maayos. Nahihirapan din ako umapak sa upuan niya. Paminsan sa gulong ako umaapak, sasadsad... Takot po, baka mabangga," Junior said.
Despite the struggle that they face daily just to bring Junior to school, they still get comments.
"Paminsan inaasar ako ng mga kaklase ko, pilay ang tatay. Inaasar ako nila ng 'Pilay, pilay.' Pati rin sa amin inaasar ako, 'Pilay, pilay,'" Junior said.
Marami sa ating mga kababayan na may kapansanan ang inaasar, pero hindi yun dapat ang maging batayan para sumuko ang isang tao.. At sa may mga kapaganak hindi din natin kailangan magpaapekto sa kanila bagus dapat pa nga tayo maging proud sa kanila.. Dahil minsan sila pa nga yung nakakatulong sa ka nilang pamilya dahil sa pagsisikap na makamit ang pangarap nila..
Lahat ng tao ay pantay-pantay may kapansanan man o wala..
However, Alejandro and Junior still push through to achieve Junior's dream of becoming a cop and catching thieves.
"Pa, mag-aaral ako ng mabuti hanggang sa makatapos. Magpupulis po ako," Junior promised.
Despite his efforts for his family, Alejandro admits that sometimes he is ashamed of his disability, and for not always being able to provide what they want or need.
"Minsan, nakakahiya rin. Minsan may nagaabot, nakakahiya naman tanggihan. Pero tanaw ng buhay ko hindi naman ako naging pabigat na ganoon," he said.
"One day, meron siyang pinabibili, eh wala akong pera. Umiiyak siya, nakita ng tao, nagbigay siyang pera. Tinaggap na rin niya," he added.
Loathe to be dead weight, Alejandro runs a food cart parked in the sidewalks.
He said that discrimination against persons with disability (PWDs) makes it hard to find a job.
"Sa totoo lang, matindi pa rin yung diskriminasyon. Una pag disabled ka, disabled ka na. Kailangan matalino ka para medyo ma-apreciate ka nila, matanggap ka nila...so kailangan talaga napakatalino mo para i-grab ka ng isang company," he said.
"Matindi rin po yung struggle namin," he added.
Ikalat natin to at sana marami pa ang makatulong sa kanila.. At sa mga kumpanya diyan na namimili ng mga empleyado nila.. Sana imulat niyo ang iyong mga mata at isipan ng malaman niyo kung ano ang kayang gawin ng mga taong may kapansanan. Minsan nga mas magaling pa sila..
Credits to GMA
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