Powerlifter Adeline Dumapong remembers when she walked out into the roaring crowd in Bangkok, Thailand on Jan. 10, 1999. Adeline, then only 25, was attending the opening ceremony of the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled—her first international competition ever.
Despite the grandeur of the sight and the festivities that launched the event, the attire that she and the Philippine contingent was made to wear did not match the occasion. They only wore thin white t-shirts when they stepped into the stadium.
“Ang tingin sa para-sports ay isang charity event,” said Adeline in a September 2021 forum. “Hindi kami pinapasok sa athletes’ village kasi hindi bayad yung entry fees namin (para-athletes).”
Adeline would end up bagging a silver medal for powerlifting in the 1999 FESPIC Games a few days later. The next year, in 2000, she won the country’s first bronze medal in the Paralympics.
Now 48 and with more medals to her name, Adeline still carries that memory of Bangkok with her. Especially now, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the sports industry to its knees and athletes are hurdling big time to chase their dreams. For the para-athletes, what unfolds is a twofold struggle: on top of the abysmal state of Philippine sports, they confront a world bereft of support in both collegiate and national stages.
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The powerlifter was diagnosed with polio at the age of 3. She moved to an institution for children with disabilities at the age of 6, where she discovered her love for swimming and basketball. After 14 years of using crutches, she opted for a wheelchair due to complications in her knees.
Adeline began powerlifting in 1997 and has since made rounds in local competitions. Once, she won two months of free training at a gym owned by Ramon Debuque, who would eventually become her coach. Eventually, she would move to a training facility attached to the Philippine Orthopedic Center, a medical institution in Quezon City.
Not until she got the International Paralympic Committee’s nod of approval did the Philippine Sports Commission give her financial assistance. Before the PSC came to her aid, it was the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office who was giving her the needed funding such as travel budget.
“Ang pagtingin sa amin ay mga charity case,” said Adeline. “Sana ‘yung mga pasilidad na mayroon na tayo, gawing accessible para sa mga may kapansanan din. ‘Yun naman ang importante dahil pinag-uusapan natin ay inclusion. ‘Yung isama naman kami sa pangarap,” she added.
Dumapong scored one of the country’s only two bronze medals at the Paralympics, the other being Josephine Medina for table tennis in 2016. Nine Paralympic games have since passed, the latest being the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Our contingent did not score anything that year.
That year, too, the Philippine delegation was cut to half as three para-athletes contracted COVID. Para discus thrower Jeannette Avaceda and powerlifter Achelle Guion were already in the athlete’s village when they tested positive for the virus and were forced to withdraw. Taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin was prohibited from even leaving the country because he tested positive for the virus.
Paralympian swimmer Gary Bejino had hoped to bring home a medal just like Hidilyn Diaz, who won the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics a few weeks before. But he cited the lack of opportunities to train as a major pushback to the para-athletes’ campaign.
“Ipapangako ko po na gagawin ko yung best ko na mabigyan ng karangalan ‘yung bansang Pilipinas,” paralympian swimmer Gary Bejino said in an August 2021 interview with TV Patrol.
Gary wrapped his paralympic stint ranking 20th in the men’s 100m backstroke S6 division.
“Wala kaming sapat na oras at panahon na makapag-training sa swimming pool dahil sa pandemic,” Gary added.
The para-athletes’ dismal stint in the international games and their immobilized careers during the pandemic reflect just how much Philippine sports is built on an ableist structure. In this system, PWDs are incompetent in the eyes of those watching from the sidelines.
“Nahihirapan [ang para-athletes] mag-bubble training. Walang accessible para sa mga may kapansanan. Hindi lang ‘yung venue [ang pinagtutuunan ng pansin], kundi ‘yung saan sila titiira. Accessible ba ‘yun? Pwede ba ang wheelchair doon? Lalo na pagdating sa CR,” Adeline noted.
Dumapong adds that these details often get overlooked by sporting bodies who are mandated to help the para-athletes. But to those using these facilities, these features are integral to creating an inclusive environment.
Even after the struggles and sacrifices, para-athletes would not receive appropriate recognition for their work. A quick look at Republic Act 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act shows that Paralympic winners only receive half of the prizes given to their Olympic counterparts.
After Dumapong’s win at the Paralympic Games, her next match was at Congress. She was among those who called to amend RA 10699 to include rewards for para-athletes, as an earlier version of the law did not have cash incentives for the players at all.
“They used my win as a backdrop para i-amyenda yung [incentives law.] I was asked to make a position letter, tapos babasahin [ko] ‘yun in front of the congressmen. I knew that we had to ask for [the amendments.] Ang tagal noon bago naging batas,” Adeline said.
Fifteen years of pushing for that change did end in rewards for triumphant para-athletes, but it still does not match the prizes their Olympic counterparts would receive. Even at the paralympic athletes’ best, they would not get the recognition they deserve.
Adeline is grateful to have witnessed the various developments in para-sports, but she remains hopeful for a future where incentives can be made uniform for all.
When asked about whether she would continue fighting for equal rewards in the law, she said “mayroon ulit sinusulong na. Hopefully, ma-amyendahan ulit ‘yun para sana dumating na ‘yung panahon na pantay na [ang incentives].”
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Safe spaces, platforms
The call for better facilities and inclusivity resounds in UP as well. For student organization UP Supporting PWDs through Exercise and Recreation (UP SUPER), collaborating with para-athletes is a must for genuine representation both in the University and in the country.
UP SUPER was established in September 2020 with a vision of an inclusive society for the PWD community. The organization holds disability sensitivity training at least once every semester and occasional Filipino Sign Language workshops. They also conduct fitness dance events that encourage PWDs to be active at home.
“[We must] look at the ability rather than the disability of a person. [We must] cater to safe spaces for different types of people and to let people hear that there are other people na hindi masyadong napapansin, na hindi masyadong napakikinggan,” UP SUPER President Panjie Legaspi said.
When UP still held face-to-face activities, PWD students received limited assistance from the university in their stay throughout the campus. However, the distance learning setup posed another roadblock in the path towards inclusivity.
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In 2008, UP introduced the Special UP College Admission (UPCA) Test in order to create an inclusive admittance process for the University’s first-year applicants who have disabilities. It provides needs-based assistance to the examinees such as sign language interpreters during the test, Braille exam booklets and other assistive technology.
“Mayroon talagang assistance na binibigay noon for PWDs, pero [natigil] dahil online na ang UPCA,” the Office of Admissions said in a phone call with TNP.
PWDs may acquire a student with special needs ID from the Office of the University Registrar, which grants them enlistment priority during enrollment. The University said PWDs have seating priority in classrooms and access to express lanes for campus services.
Legaspi said creating dedicated PWD platforms in the University is a crucial step, but she believes there can be bigger strides with a genuine grassroots sports development state program.
“[The government] also has to collaborate with the people — the stakeholders themselves. You can’t really know what they experience unless you involve them in the brainstorming of [policies],” Legaspi told TNP.
As local and global sporting events adapt to a new normal, para-athletes are raring to ignite their passion for sports and play their hearts out once again. Forging ties between the national government, educational institutions and the PWD community can hone an inclusive playing field for Filipino athletes and para-athletes.
“Dapat may mas malalim na pag-intindi sa sitwasyon ng may kapansanan at ng para-sports itself,” Adeline said. “It is only through including us in the conversation that we can really let our voices be heard. [Dapat may] collective effort at conscious effort na isali yung mga hindi kasali.”
The stories of para-athletes like Adeline and Gary reflect a shared experience of those across the country who confront similar struggles towards inclusion and support. While their success in bringing our country’s name into the global limelight is a rare feat, the struggle behind their victory is not so uncommon.
“If you give [the PWD community] the platform and the chance to empower themselves, they’re also able to empower other types of people,” Legaspi said.
Beyond competing, the ultimate goal for para-athletes is to represent the PWD community in a society they can also call theirs. With the proper support, they can bring themselves into the world’s most ardent crowds and biggest stadiums.
They just need to be given the chance.
