Tabal, Dueñas team up with QIMC for SPED athletes’ training program

Quota International of Metro Cebu (QIMC) officials and members and Cebu Olympian Mary Joy Tabal join coaches, Department of Education representatives and Special Education (Sped) athletes during the press conference for the Olympics for Special Children that is slated on August 17, 2019 at the Cebu City Sports Center.  CDND PHOTO / Mars G. Alison

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Department of Education (DepEd)  welcomes the initiative of the Quota International of Metro Cebu (QIMC) for initiating a special training program for the Special Education (SPED) athletes that is spearheaded by coach John Philip Dueñas and Cebu marathon Olympian Mary Joy Tabal.

The program was conceptualized under the belief that sports is a great equalizer and a platform to promote gender equality and the inclusion of persons with disability.

“We all know that sports is for everyone. We are different in some aspects in life. But seeing the children do the same thing that we are doing is so inspiring,” said Tabal during a press conference held at the Montebello Villa Hotel on Monday, August 5, 2019.

Tabal was joined by Dueñas and QIMC president Cheryl Arnan and its other officers and members, as well as some SPED athletes.

Apart from this training program, QIMC is also holding an Olympics for Special Children on August 17, 2019 at the Cebu City Sports Center where some 120 SPED athletes will be competing.

The one-day sporting event will be themed “Empowering Special Children through Sports.”

These SPED athletes will be coming from 13 DepEd SPED Centers.

These are Banawa Elementary School, Barrio Luz Elementary School, Bulacao Community School, Cebu City Central School, Don Vicente Rama Memorial Elementary School, Guadalupe Elementary School, and Guba Elementary School.

Other SPED centers that will join are Labangon Elementary School, Lahug Elementary School, Pardo Elementary School, San Nicolas Elementary School, Talamban Elementary School and Zapatera National High School.

The SPED athletes will be classified under those with Intellectual Disability (ID), Visually Impaired (VI) and Low Vision (LV).

Serving as technical officials are renowned athletics coaches in Cebu.

Elde Banzon will serve as the head.

He will be joined by Arvin Loberanis, Ernesto Ybañez Jr. and James Ludweg Geconcillo, who will serve as members.

Despite their busy schedules, these coaches have agreed to help QIMC in this endeavor.

The Olympics for Special Children will have nine running events: 100-meter run, 200-meter run, 400-meter run, 800-meter run, 4×100 meter run, 4×400 meter run, shotput, running long jump, standing long jump, and bocce and goal ball.

Banzon explained that there will be two age brackets: 15 years old and below and 16 to 25 years old.

Both age brackets will have a boys and girls division.

The event will also serve as gauge on how much the SPED athletes have learned from Dueñas who holds the training every Saturday since July.

According to Dueñas, the biggest challenge that he encountered is “handling the disability of each SPED athlete.”

“You have to give a specific exercise for each disability,” said Dueñas.

Celestina Gohetia, the DepEd Division SPED focal person, said they welcome Dueñas’ initiative to help improve the abilities of the SPED athletes.

She said the training program handled by Dueñas is not in conflict with the series of trainings that the SPED athletes received from their SPED Centers,

“No conflict at all because this is well arranged and we give priority for this training,” said Gohetia.

The Olympics for Special Children will also serve as a preparation for the SPED athletes, who will be competing in the Central Visayas Regional Athletics Association (CVIRAA) Meet and the Palarong Pambansa. / celr