Baguio rotary club honors special vocational achievers

By Ramon Dacawi 

BAGUIO CITY -- The Mother Rotary Club of Baguio recently toasted two individual achievers and three institutions for their work in pushing, by example and support, the personal and professional development of individuals with disabilities.

The awards program at the Training Center, Baguio Country Club ended months of searching for the awardees and coincided with the observance of “Vocational Month” on the theme “Celebrating best employment practices for persons with disabilities”.

 

The individual honorees were John Lacbaoan Paredes, a visually impaired instructor at the St. Louis University School of Teacher Education, and Lourdes Tomad Biag, a woman struck with polio at a young age who, through hard work, perseverance and frugality, was able to own two taxis, three jeepneys and a small retail store for her family.

 

Also honored by the club headed by president Elizabeth “Libby” Rillera-Fernandez were the Baguio chapter of Autism Society Philippines, Vismar Massage and Bay-Sports Manufacturing.

 

The society provides workshops, training and literary programs that enhance the potentials of children and adults with autism.

 

Vismar is a establishment offering massage services and managed by a group of visually impaired individuals.

 

Bay-Sports, owned by Ludwig Bay, has been employing hearing-impaired workers since 1999.

 

The mother club earlier vowed to maintain the cleanliness of the Abanao-Magsaysay-Harrison pedestrian overpass as its environmental thrust marking its 75th anniversary this year.

           

Rillera formalized the adoption the overpass through a memorandum of agreement forged with mayor Mauricio Domogan and district engineer Ireneo Gallato of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

           

Work on sprucing up the overpass began last Sept. 29 with the backing of the Rotakids and Rotary Anns, members of the Interact Club of the Baguio City National High School, the Rotary Community Corp., Rotaract and Interact clubs of barangay Lucnab, members of AZCKO barangay, officers of the Baguio Fire Department, businessman Michael del Rosario and friends of Rotary.

With them were village chiefs Michael Karl Flores of Kabayanihan and Peter Wasing of Lower Quirino Hill, both members of the club.  – Cora Ocampo.