(FERNANDINO PWDS WELFARE DAY. Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago shares stories with some Fernandino persons with disabilities (PWDs) during the observance of International Day of PWDs in the city on December 18, 2018, at Heroes Hall. Contributed Photo)
THE CITY of San Fernando always pushes to uplift the lives of people with special needs, joining the globe in the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), through PWDs’ Welfare Day, held at Heroes Hall on December 18, 2018.
Speaking before some two hundred (200) PWDs in the city, Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago expressed that these people have a special place in every Fernandino’s heart.
“Malaki ang aking paghanga sa mga taong may espesyal na pangangailangan Malapit kayo sa aming puso dahil kayo ang salamin ng katatagan ng loob at paniniwala sa sarili. Yes, you have special needs but you are not diff erent,” Santiago said.
The program, organized by the city government, through its City Social Welfare and Development Office, let these people enjoy dance performances, fun games, and other activities.
One of the highlights also was the “Forum on Personality and Values Enhancement,” spearheaded by an international speaker Maria Lucille “Malu” Galang of the Advocates for Personal Excellence (APEX) Training and Consultancy Corporation.
Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin also graced the activity, highlighting that “PWDs are also capable of being happy and being human.”
The International Day of PWDs, originally held every third of December, is a program of the United Nations (UN) which “aims to promote PWDs’ rights and well-being towards an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world.”
