But the award-winning post,for me, was by journalist Isabel de Leon of the Manila Bulletin. Last week, she posted: “Scoured the entire Recto Avenue for a toga for my Petchay who’s graduating this Sunday.
“Found the toga and the cap. At dahil di ako sure kung may award na matatanggap ang apo ko, ibinili ko na rin sya ng gold medal. (And since I’m not sure if my grandchild will get an award, I also bought a gold medal.)”
Who can top that?
Recto Avenue, as we all know, is where you buy what you can’t get in school: fake diplomas, school ring, medals, etc. etc.
Abel and I covered Malacañang together during the Ramos presidency. She was famous in the Malacañang Press Corps for finding terrific buys when we go shopping in between coverage during foreign visits. We would be green with envy for the beautiful items she had found at bargain prices.
But when before, Abel’s shopping list were mostly her clothes, now Petchay’s needs are her priority.
Petchay, seven years old, is Matthew Benedict Adao, first son of Abel’s only daughter. He just finished his Prep school at Fairfield School in Quezon City. He also attends classes at Multiple Intelligence Learning Center.
When Petchay enters Grade One in June at Fairfield, he will also be studying Braille because he is half-blind. He can only see with his left eye.
Abel said Petchay was born in 2005 with sepsis (infection) because his Mom had urinary tract infection in the late stage of her pregnancy.
Abel said Petchay is a miracle baby. “He is special in the sense that he almost died when he was a newborn and stayed at the Nursery Intensive Care Unit for more than a month. He had sepsis and doctors told us he was going to die,” she recalled.
Abel then was one of Gloria Arroyo’s press undersecretaries. Every day, after work in Malacañang, she would pass by St. Jude church. “I begged God to spare him because looking at him every day with all those contraptions on his body, parang durog na durog puso ko. I promised God I’d give up something for Petchay.”
On the day the doctors said that Petchay has a slim chance of surviving, Abel said she resolved to give up smoking. When Abel arrived at the Heart Center that day, she was alarmed seeing Petchay’s crib empty. She thought of the worst. She ran to the nurses’ station, where she was told that Petchay had been transferred to a regular room.
Abel said Petchay’s physical growth is normal except that because he is half-blind he would always stumble or bump into furniture.She said he scores high in social interaction.
Last Sunday, Abel said when Petchay put on his toga, she also put on him the Recto-bought gold medal.
She later posted in her Facebook: “Good thing I bought that gold medal. Petchay got the Most Punctual and Most Confident awards though .”
Abel deserves a gold medal for “Best Lola in the world.”
What a heart-warming story. Kudos!
Congrats, Petchay!
Congratulations Petchay!!!
Petchay looks so sweet.
Congratulations Petchay and Isabel.
“He also attends classes at Multiple Intelligence Learning Center.”
That is where Joshua,the son of Kris Aquino,studies.
Nothing to worry about ,Petchay, you have a very good back-up !!!!
Sayang, nakabili din sana ako ng gold medal para sa anak ko. He just graduated from elementary too.
Congratulations Petchay! And to Abel, ganyan talaga kapag mahal mo, gagawin mo ang lahat!
ako? no need diyan sa medalyang binili sa recto. my apong babae topped her kinder class and also best in math while my apong lalaki was second honor in his class and also best in math and science, most punctual, most polite and most neat.
nakakatuwa. maige na la’ang hindi sila nagmansa sa lolo nilang singkolar at pinakamataas ang grades sa recess.
kaya naman pala, eh. dating nasa cabinet ni goyang kaya nagkasya sa pagbili ng medalyang ginto sa recto.
walang malisya ito. pero paano mo ipaliliwanag sa apo mo kung hindi naman totoo ‘yung medalyang isinabit mo?
mag-stock na kaya ako nang medals… mabuti na yong kahit anong okasyon may medal ang mga apo ko.
Good idea.
What is more important in situation like this is the child’s smile. I’m sure the Lord will understand. And some day, when the child grows up, he will appreciate Lola’s effort, even if unorthodox.
Petchay is the most worthy of all the recipients of Recto’s degrees and gold medals…my nephew, a very big fellow, we all struggled to barely get him see his kinder, is now a proud graduate of Public School in Northern California where his baby sister bibs also graduated…the only difference is he is still in his college courses forever while the BiBs will be graduating from her Bachelors Degree this June…he has to have a coach provided by the State social welfare and get disoriented sometimes…has to take a confidence building program by the California State for Special Adults and now a Brown Belt in Karate and is taking Tai Kwan Do and has to be driven around to his night courses by either Big Bro or Dad all the time…He is the gem, the golden “boy” of our family…a vey Special indeed. And the same with Petchay to his Lola and family..
What do we call that special unexplainable bond between grandparents and grandkids? Tubo sa puhunan?
“Perfect love sometimes does not come until grandchildren are born” – Welsh proverb
Tooting my horn too! May pamangkin akong naka 100% sa report card niya sa Math sa isang exclusive school pa na mahirap makabingwit ng mataas na grado. I am so proud of this kid and all his other sibblings kasi puro sila matatalino. Maswerte ang kapatid ko na ang pitong anak niya ay halos nasa honor roll sa kanya kanyang eskwelahan. Blessing talaga kung may mga kapamilya ka na tunay ang pagpupursige sa pagaaral. Meron din akong isang pamangkin na PERFECT naman ang attendance niya ng buong taon. Doing good na itong isang ito after finishing up two courses and excelling in both of them. Proud na proud ako sa mga ito talaga!
I think one’s capacity to love (which is apparent in all the comments here) is what makes the story and the sharing in this thread heartwarming.
salamat sa mga ganitong istorya.
PSB, re #14. That’s real wealth.
sana lang ay maging open minded ang ating pamahalaan sa kaso ng mga pobreng mag-aaral na merong talino subalit hindi kayang tustusan hanggang kolehiyo ng kanilang mga magulang. sa kinder pa lang ay simulan na nilang mag-scout ng mga estudyanteng nangangailangan ng ayuda upang makatapos ng pag-aaral hindi ‘yung lalapit pa sa kanila subalit tinatalo ng impluwensiya ng mga nagpapanggap na mahihirap at walang kakayahang magpaaral ng mga anak. tama na rin ‘yang mga over publicized na scholarship grants mula sa mga ahensiyang kapag nilapitan ay napakaraming mga requirements na hinihingi at napaka-imposibleng matugunan.
Now to quote my cousin when his daughter took her only son from him to bring with her to the State…”if only we can have granchildren,before we have children”…and my brother with four children had none with him in the Philippines… I just have to update him by phone on a daily basis (cost $2.50 phone card, have to skip one coffee and snack a day) the progress of his grandchildren…and that will be the high point of his day…
Teka, sali ako sa buhatan ng bangko.
My thirteen-year-old is entering senior high school after summer. We just finished recognition last week. Malas kami this year. Only one Gold Medal. He will graduate high school next year at age 14. He plans to enter PMA but he is underage so he will have to finish a bachelor’s degree first.
Hopefully he will finish college when he’s 18. So, do you think that a company will hire him after graduation?
Re #20. Wow, mana sa tatay!
This is such a heartwarming story. Congratz Petchay and Abel.
I am so happy to see Petchay wearing that gold medal.
I’m sure one day Petchay will appreciate what his Lola did on this grad day. I’m sure Lola’s medal boosted his confidence and self worth, and would go a long way in priming him up for the long schooling.