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Friday, November 28, 2003
8M Filipino kids suffer from physical, mental disability
By Raquel C. Bagnol
ABOUT eight million Filipino children are suffering from physical, mental and other forms of disability, and the number continues to increase.
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 11 Regional Director Alberto Sipaco Jr. revealed this recently, citing a report released by the World Health Organization.
Sipaco was guest in Wednesday's Parents Mobilization Action Group (PMAG) annual convention at the Garden Oases in Agdao, Davao City.
"This means that one out of 10 children are physically or mentally disabled, and these children need special training to be able to make them feel that they are a part of the society," Sipaco said.
Diana Sipaco, PMAG program manager and wife of the CHR regional chief, said they are planning to expand nationwide within the next five years to help other parents of disabled or differently-abled children in the country.
PMAG, Diana said, is a human rights program focused on the empowerment of parents of children with disabilities, children with autism, with cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities and other developmental delays.
Diana said PMAG also aims to increase awareness on the rights of parents, children and caregivers, increase public awareness on the concerns of children with intellectual disabilities and development delays, and promote vocational training and employment.
"We coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) and aim to train parents how to handle their special or differently-abled children so these kids can join regular classes and feel that they are not ostracized from the society. We also teach them vocational skills or livelihood projects that can be income-generating," Diana said.
Diana said there are already about 400 parents of special children actively involved with PMAG in Mindanao.
"It's a great help for them to be able to communicate and get in touch with other parents, because children learn not only from teachers but mainly from parents," Diana said.
(November 28, 2003 issue)
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