MABALACAT CITY — Some 150 persons with disabilities (PWDs) trooped here for the 2nd citywide athletic meet set on March 15 to 17 at the Clark Parade Grounds in celebration of the Disabilities Awareness Month this March.
The three-day sportsfest was spearheaded by the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) and the Federation of Persons with Disability in coordination with this city’s Social Welfare and Development Office headed by Josephine Tanglao and Schools Division led by Dr. Ma. Irelyn Tamayo.
The sports events are chess, dama, table tennis, 100 meter dash, javelin throw, discus throw and shot put.
“Our purpose is to foster sportsmanship and camaraderie among PWD athletes and to select who will represent our city in the upcoming 2017 Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled (Philspada)-National Finals, ” Michael Miranda, PDAO head, said.
For his part, City Mayor Marino Morales said during the opening ceremony on Wednesday that PWDs are not liabilities but rather assets of our society.
Vice Mayor Christian Halili also pledged for the continuous support of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to the welfare of the disabled persons.