MDM November 17, 2018

MDM
MDM
MANILA -- Twelve
differently-abled girls
showcased their talents
and brilliance on Saturday
(November 10) in vying for
the 2018 Miss Possibilities
title.
Miss Possibilities is
with special needs. It is also
an inclusive fashion show
with Filipino celebrities. It
aims to provide girls, who
are 12 years old and above,
an opportunity to showcase
their unique character and
charisma on stage through
a fashion show, talent
exhibition, and question and
answer session.
After three hours of
scrutinizing each candidate’s
individual presentations,
the judges of the pageant
declared Samantha Pia
Cabanera as this year’s
winner.
Cabanera, 19, has
Asperger’s, a form of autism,
since she was 18 months old.
She is currently a senior
high school student at St.
Theresa’s College and plans
to take creative writing at the
University of the Philippines.
While she appears
sociable and smart, Cabanera
told the Philippine News
Agency (PNA) that she still
has challenges in making eye
contact, socialization, and
mastering her emotions.
“If I trust myself and
listen to other people,
I believe I can. Maybe,
someday, I could write for an
online magazine for autistic
people,” she added.
Cabanera said she was
surprised about being the
winner of the pageant, since
she made a mistake during
her song performance.
“I feel very nervous
and thankful at the same
time because I just want
to showcase the talents of
people with disabilities
(PWDs),” she said.
Cabanera added she
wants to advocate for people
with autism and PWDs to
remove the social stigma that
comes with their condition.
“I encourage other kids
like me to join pageants
like this to build their selfthem
if they want to join,
but it’s not just about joining
pageants, it’s also about
believing in themselves and
JUDGES. (From left) Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, Facebook Country
Director John Rubio, and Miss Philippines-Universe 2000 Nina Ricci Alagao are three of the
five judges in the Miss Possibilities 2018 pageant. MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR
MISS POSSIBILITIES 2018. Samantha Pia Cabanera, 19, is crowned as Miss Possibilities 2018
at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater in Ateneo de Manila in Quezon City on Saturday (November
10). MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR
what they can do,” she said.
The advocacy
Suzanna Pavadee
Vichienrut Yuzon, founder
and president of Miss
Possibilities Foundation, told
the PNA that she started the
foundation and the pageant
four and a half years ago.
“When we started, it was
just in a restaurant in BGC
(Bonifacio Global City) and
the next year, we included
the celebrity fashion show
to show that celebrities and
even athletes care for our
children with special needs,”
she said.
Starting with just four
mothers whose children have
down syndrome, the Miss
Possibilities Foundation has
expanded to 28 members,
who have children with other
special needs. But some of
their volunteers are single
people who believe in the
cause.
Yuzon shared her
inspiration for establishing
the foundation is her daughter
Joey, who is diagnosed with
down syndrome.
“She was a bit
premature, but she was all
right we never knew that she
had down syndrome until we
had the blood test,” she said.
Stressing that the blood
test costs P3,000 to P4,000,
Yuzon said their foundation
wanted to gain support from
the government.
“Just last year, February,
the month for down
syndrome, we have put in a
for people with down
syndrome and other special
in Congress. Congressman
Cuaresma and Congressman
Dy are there, but we want
more congressmen to support
us,” she added.
Yuzon pointed out
that people with down
syndrome and their families
the Department of Health
(DOH) to ask help from
because typical children are
usually prioritized for their
medical needs.
“Kids with down
syndrome die unnecessarily
because they don’t receive
medical attention and
therapies. They need help
with early intervention or
heart surgery because of
health issues. Most of them
have heart issues,” she said.
Citing that being a
working mom or hands-on
Yuzon shared that being a
mom of a child with special
needs is being that and more.
“There are medical,
therapy issues, and one
heartbreaking issue is that
we don’t have a good future
as in typical kids, I noticed
that because I have a child
with special needs and a
child who’s a typical child,”
she pointed out.
Sometimes, Yuzon
continued, she’s tempted to
complain when their family
has put in a lot of work but
the pay-off and milestones
remain hard to reach for
their daughter. But she’s
reminded of how blessed
they are compared with
other families, who don’t
have access to therapies and
activities for their children
with special needs.
“Ultimately, we’re here
to change the stigma that
sometimes we still have for
th0e people with special
needs like you feel sorry
for them and the family and
just to show that they have
value to the society, and with
a little understanding and
acceptance, they could be
productive in the society,”
she said. Ma. Teresa
Montemayor/PNA
FARMERS’ CONGRESS. Senator Cynthia Villar delivers her
message during the 4th Farmers’ Congress in Palayan City, Nueva
Ecija on Thursday, November 15. PHOTO BY MARILYN GALANG
P10-B budget for agriculture programs
NUEVA ECIJA - The
government is set to allocate
P10 billion for agriculture
programs including
farm mechanization, seeds
and trainings.
This was bared by Senator
Cynthia Villar, chair of
the Senate Committee on
Agriculture and Food, during
the 4th Farmers’ Congress
here on Thursday.
Villar, asked farmers
MANILA --
Philippines’ main
equities gauge rose for
the second consecutive
day ahead of Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP)
announcement on its latest
policy rate decision, while
the peso also regained
lost ground, reverting to
the 52-level against the
greenback on Thursday’s
session.
The Philippine Stock
Exchange index (PSEi)
increased by 0.43 percent,
or 29.51 points, to 6,952.59
points.
Bank of the Philippine
Islands (BPI), in its
market report, said the
main index rose before
the announcement of
another hike in the central
bank’s key policy rates
by 25 basis points to 4.75
percent for the overnight
reverse repurchase (RRP)
facility rate to 4.75 percent,
effective November 16,
2018.
work of producing food for
every Filipino, even as she
assured them of full support
under the administration
of President Rodrigo
Duterte.
She said Duterte is set
to sign next year the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund and half of the
fund will go to farm mechanization.
The fund aims to
help rice farmers mechanize
and produce good
seeds.
Villar cited the crucial
role of farmers in society
and the lives of every Filipino.
“Huwag ninyong
Local markets up due
partly to BSP rate hike
To date, BSP’s policymaking
Monetary Board
(MB) increased the central
banks key rates by a total of
175 basis points.
Rates of the overnight
repurchase (RP) facility
and the overnight deposit
rate were also increased by
25 basis points.
Additional factors that
lifted the PSEi are reports
about the positive earnings
The improvement
of the main index was
mirrored by the All Shares,
which rose 0.30 percent, or
12.63 points, to 4,254.87
points.
It was a mix among the
sectors, with the Financials
and Industrial rising by
2.52 percent and 0.63
percent, respectively.
On the other hand,
Holding Firms declined by
0.38 percent; Mining and
Oil, 0.32 percent; Services,
0.27 percent; and Property,
0.07 percent. PNA
mamaliitin ang kontribusyon
niyo sa ating bansa
(Do not underestimate your
contribution in our country),”
she said.
The Farmers’ Congress
is an annual undertaking by
the city government under
Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas
as an opportunity to
honor agricultural workers
and provide an avenue for
discussion among them, as
well as with representatives
of various government
agencies. PNA
MANILA -- Aver-
2018-20 were raised after
the Monetary Board (MB)
took stock of more recent
economic developments
both here and abroad.
The Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) made this
announcement alongside
the additional raising of its
key rates by an additional
25 basis points.
BSP Department of Economic
Research (DER)
Director Dennis Lapid said
the 2018 forecast was hiked
to 5.3 percent from 5.2 percent
during the rate setting
meet last September 27.
On the other hand, the
percent from 4.3 percent,
while for 2020, to 3.3 percent
from 3.2 percent.
During the same briefing,
Deputy Governor
Maria Almazara Cyd Tuaño-Amador
attributed the
change in forecasts to the
bill, which has been approved
in both the House
of Representatives and the
Senate, and the announced
suspension of the second
phase of oil excise tax for
2019 amounting to P2 per
liter.
She said the impact of
-
ure, which will still be deliberated
in the Bicameral
Conference Committee,
“should be felt soon.”
She explained that the
-
tion “used to be part of the
(but) now considered in the
recast
for 2019.”
5.2% to 5.3% due to recent
economic developments.
-
ment of Finance (DOF)
have proposed the imple-
-
cation in a bid to ensure
enough supply of rice in the
country.
The price of rice surged
in the early part of 2018
due to supply issues, but
this was addressed after the
government implemented
several measures such as
the release of rice stocks
from all warehouses of the
National Food Authority
(NFA).
On the suspension of
the second oil excise tax
hike for next year, Tuaño-
Amador said this “comes
with a considerable degree
of certainty”, adding that
this was also part of the
but is now also a part of the
baseline forecast.