Is there hope of normalcy for special children?

Wanlu the puppeteer is a new friend, while Dinah Dominguez an old one from way back. Wanlu made a name as grand champion of the TV5 show Talentadong Pinoy, and from then on found himself barraged with requests to grace corporate events, lectures, competitions and puppet festivals abroad.

Dinah, on the other hand, was an active actress, singer and producer in the ’80s. She had a liking for strange creatures as pets like electric eels, race horses and live piranhas, earning her the title “Piranha Queen.” Dinah’s daughter Champagne Morales was part of our talent block, and even then was a multi-talented singer, actress, host, composer and Metropop star. Today, she hosts Viva’s Celebrity Home & Business on Cinema 21 cable TV. She is also a licensed realtor and regular performer at corporate events.

Not having heard from Dinah for a while, we were happy to get a call to grace her birthday party at the Zucchero at Harbor Square and were surprised to find Wanlu there. It appears that both Dinah and Wanlu have children who are categorized as “special children.” We never knew of this; they never spoke of it. Yet Dinah’s birthday wasn’t the first occasion celebrating the introduction of this bunch of kids Dinah has dubbed the “Unique Kids on the Go.”  

We watched them sitting quietly with their parents. But when the music started with the Beyond Expression Boy Band setting the mood, these unique kids started going to center stage to join them in the merriment with nary any self-consciousness.

 She introduced the star of them all, Vhell Baria, who could speak straight and didn’t stutter, looked normal and was a music student at St. Scholastica’s College. There was also AJ Rasalan, a boy who had the confidence that would put normal kids to shame as he danced Gangnam Style for us all. Kim Ferrer demonstrated his exemplary singing ability. Dinah told us these children were bright and confident, more so than those who are normal. She added that since she and the parents of these “unique” children decided to mix them up with normal society, they started to act normal themselves.

We had read that special children fell into various categories. The most prevalent and closest to normalcy are those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They are active, friendly, loud and have a tendency to show off. The others suffer from Mental Retardation, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, etc. They all go under the headline of Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

The last time popular media dealt with this problem was on ABS-CBN’s teleserye Budoy, which cast Gerald Anderson as a boy with disabilities. It was a risky albeit admirable venture.

Dinah discovered her son Bobson’s ailment at age two when the nursery school reported something wrong with him. “I enrolled him in summer playshops where he did well. He loves music that when he hears a song, he can immediately sing it. He played a plastic flute at eight, and went on to play the real silver flute at 10. He has appeared on TV with me several times. People called to congratulate me. Although I’ve suffered pain and insults from others, I will never stop believing that one day Bobson who is now 20 will be normal and nobody would hurt him as long as I am with him.” 

 During her birthday party, we didn’t get to meet Bobson who was in a difficult mood. We got to meet Wanlu’s son Elijah who was in a better mood and agreed to join his dad when he performed with the puppet. Wanlu told us that he was supporting Dinah’s advocacy, which started with a show at SM North EDSA on April 10, 2010, Champagne’s birthday with German “Kuya Germs” Moreno and Jake Vargas of GMA cutting the ribbon.

“Teachers from special education schools joined and performed along with the special kids whom we mixed with regular kids on stage and no one could distinguish the difference,” Dinah reminisced. Needless to say, the show Fiesta a La Musicale-Saraphsody was a big success.

 Then Dinah brought out Champagne, singing pelotari Pamboy Lorenzo, JV Macatangay and The Filipino Tenors Miguel Castro, Johan Enriquez, Jen Mai de Asis, Christian Magano and Richard Supat. While the Tenors were singing their signature classical numbers, who would come knocking at their door but Vhell Baria asking if she could sing with them. And she did, knowing the songs The Prayer and the duet Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang by heart, and wowing the crowd. Dinah aims next to produce a music video with showbiz stars and these Unique Kids singing Champagne’s original composition Take Me With You.

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