LINGAYEN -- The 12th Special Olympics Philippines, the national sports competition of intellectually challenged or handicapped athletes, started on Tuesday.

This is the third national sporting event in the province after the Palarong Pambansa in 1995 and the National Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) meet in 2006.

The two-day sporting event is being held at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) here with the bowling to be held at the The CSI Citymall in Dagupan City.

Valentine's 2009 blog

About 500 athletes and 300 volunteers are participating, coming from different parts of the country.

The opening ceremony held Monday afternoon was graced by Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. and members of the Provincial Board led by Vice Governor Marlyn Primicias-Agabas.

Also present were hairperson on National Council of Disability Concern at the Office of the President Lovely Romulo (wife of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo), Special Olympics Philippines (SOP) National Program Director Alex Babst, SOP President Ma. Theresa Macapagal, SOP Asia Pacific Senior Managing Director Simon Kho, and Global Youth Ambassador Duckey San Diego.

The events are aquatics, athletics, bocce, badminton, table tennis, bowling, power lifting, basketball, gymnastics, and football.

Babst said all the gold medalists will comprise the Philippine pool of athletes which will be trained for the World Special Olympic Games to be held in 2011 in Athens, Greece.

He and Romulo thanked Espino and the Provincial Government for graciously hosting the Special Olympics.

Babst said other provincial local chief executives in the country are more concerned with the number of participants and if it will attract a lot of viewers when the hosting is proposed to them.

According to Espino, the NRSCC is an instrument to the cause of the intellectually disabled, God's special children.

"This is to give concrete form to our newfound commitment to help in the promotion of the welfare of the intellectually disabled," he remarked.

The huge numbers of participants has served as an eye-opener for Pangasinenses, said Espino.

"In the past, we were not fully conscious of the existence of so many such special children in our midst who are waiting to be recognized, to be accepted, to be loved, and to be allowed to contribute their modest share, as important members of the community. It is for this reason that the Provincial Government decided to love and to care for them," the governor said.

Special Olympics Philippines caters to intellectually disabled athletes. They are those with an IQ (intelligence quotient) of 70 percent or below, with down syndrome, are autistic, or with celebral palsy.

Babst further said these athletes undergo trainings principally in motor coordination, following instructions and doing activities on their own without external help on a year-round basis conducted by volunteer coaches and teachers.

The biggest challenge volunteer coaches and teachers face during training is "patience."

The first thing they will encounter from an intellectually challenged athlete, he explained, is resistance to change "as he/she is always comfortable with a routine. One more thing, they are consistent in their inconsistencies."

The Special Olympics Philippines, which is funded by the Office of the President, is considered as "one sure way" to help normalize special kids and acculturate them with the mainstream of society.

Babst said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has a soft heart for children with disabilities. She has been giving them special attention and care since she was the head of the Department of Social Welfare and Develoopment (DSWD).

"Be a fun of integrity, of acceptance, of rejecting the word 'retarded.' Forget the disability. Accept your children for what he/she is, not for what you want him/her to be," was Babst's message to parents and families with intellectually challenged child.