John Paul Guanzo
John Paul Guanzo was a healthy, normal boy up until the age of 7 when his stepfather started subjecting him to physical abuse, leaving him with a deformed spine.
Now aged 13, the boy who has yet to finish Grade 1 lives with his godmother, 63-year-old Norma Tabora, a widow who stays with her nephew in Barangay (village) Holy Spirit, Quezon City.
“He was practically abandoned by his parents. His mother is in jail after she got into drugs due to the influence of her boyfriend. This man started beating John Paul when he was 7 years old. He doesn’t know the whereabouts of his real father, a construction worker,” Norma said.
According to her, John Paul was scheduled to be operated on at Philippine Orthopedic Center but first, they needed to buy the metal implant that would provide support for the boy’s spinal column.
The implant costs P160,000.
“He always tells me he wants to return to school. He may not be very good at writing and reading, but he draws a lot. He even teaches our neighbor, a Grade 2 student, how to draw,” Norma said.
Norma Tabora can be contacted at 0927-3496095. Donations can be deposited in her BPI account (account number 0429-2270-41).