Kids with disability compete in Palaro

TAGUM CITY—Shrieks and claps from the audience filled the poolside as seven young individuals, all with disabilities, lined up the starting platform to take the final round of the special swimming competition-boys category at the Palarong Pambansa 2015 held here.

Rey Denonong, the 16-year-old special education (SPED) student from Pasig City and one of the top contenders for gold, stood still and serious, unlike the other boys who were waving back at the crowd.

And unlike his counterparts who dived into the pool ahead of the official go, Rey waited to hear the horn before plunging into the water, an accomplishment for a person with intellectual disability (ID).

Judy Ann “Duday” Neblasca, 16, who competed in the special swimming competition-girls category, looked mature and professional as she bent on the platform, eyes set on the water and plunged into the pool at the sound of the horn.

“He is very persistent and follows instructions well,” says Rey’s swimming coach Marie Nel Prepotente, a SPED teacher from Sagan Elementary School, who discovered Rey’s potential.

Prepotente narrates that if not for Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” Rey would not be competing in the Palaro.

Growing up at a riverside community in Capiz, Iloilo province, Rey recalls how he and his siblings would dive into the water and race to the other side. When Yolanda struck, the water swelled and swallowed their house along with the family’s livestock and livelihood. Two days after the supertyphoon, Rey and two of his brothers were fetched by his aunt who runs a store in Pasig City.

“We had to work to survive. I get up at 4 a.m. to open the store, go to school then go back to man the store up to 12 midnight,” Rey says without any hint of complaint. He says he is very thankful to his aunt and uncle for supporting his schooling and, now, his swimming.

But, more than anyone else, Rey says he owes so much from Prepotente and the SPEd teachers who believed in what he could do. “I love to swim and I like it when I learn all the techniques. It’s because of coach that I became good,” he says.

Duday’s coach Millete del Sol almost cried when she learned of her student’s life story. “They are nine siblings in the family, and four of them are IDs,” says Millete as she recalls how she asked permission from Duday’s mother to train her daughter, who was then 13 years old.

“I remember she said you will have no problem with Duday, she dives and swims in the creek all the time,” Millete narrates. Duday grew up in a shanty beside the Napindan Channel in Taguig City and the murky water had been her playground.

Since meeting Duday, Millete dedicated most of her time to training her. “I was so preoccupied with her and the other SPED athletes that I forgot myself already,” Millete says of her still being single.

A lot of time is needed to train IDs, says Millete. A regular swimmer would need to hear just the commands from the coach to learn the techniques. For ID athletes, it needs a lot of patience and unique training to make them understand the command.

“I have to swim beside her all the time so she can learn the techniques. There were times when she did not want to practice,” Millete adds.

“I am always inspired by the love Duday shows for me and for her family. She is very generous and she really shows her gratitude in many ways. I am very proud of her,” Millete speaks of her ward. At 9-years-old-mental age, Duday’s slurred speech does not get in the way of showing her cheerfulness, giving everyone a ready smile.

For Prepotente, Rey’s success is her greatest accomplishment. “I believe Rey will go a long way in swimming. He is very hardworking and never complains. I hope athletes like Rey will continue to get the support they deserve,” she adds.

Rey won fourth at the final round of freestyle swimming last May 5 but vowed to do better next year. Duday broke records and won her first gold.