SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – The audience at the conference hall at the sity hall here was mesmerized when the ever-smiling totally blind 12-year-old boy sung his versions, respectively, of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and the Filipino singer Florante’s iconic “Handog.”
The boy, Justine Rivera, was one of 28 special kids or children with disabilities who were given cash assistance recently by the city government. Justine lives with his guardian, Lola Emelita Rivera, in the village of Namtutan here. His mother died when he was still six months old, while his father passed away last year due to multiple illnesses.
Justine’s dream to be a good singer like one of his favorite song artists, Ed Sheeran, who inspired him to pursue a singing career along with his friends and even performed in several program school activities. He wants to become a computer technician, but his blind condition is a hindrance, so he concentrates on improving his singing skills.
City Mayor Hermenegildo”Dong”Gualberto praised the special kids, especially Justine who presented his singing talent. He said that, “these children have their own talents to nurture as they pursue their dreams.”
The mayor assured the kids that the city government would provide them their needs while looking for solutions to improve their life by giving them livelihood in the future.
Lola Emelita expressed her gratitude to Mayor Gualberto for his continuing support for them in terms of financial assistance, even as acknowledged the Department of Education of Special Education (DepEd-SpEd) for their free education program, and the teachers for assisting Justine.
About P112,000.00 worth of financial aid, P 4,000.00 each beneficiary, was given as annual education assistance through the provision of Republic Act No. 7277 or Magna Carta for Disabled Persons. Northbound Philippines News