PH Para powerlifting champ Adz Dumapong makes inclusion her mission
Six Filipino Para Athletes have departed for Paris to compete in the 2024 Paralympics, bringing with them their pride in PWD inclusion and representation. One inspiring para-athlete was one of those who paved the way for this batch of Paralympians.
Adeline “Adz” Dumapong is a para powerlifting champion who brought honor to the country with 19 medals from international competitions. She was diagnosed with polio at the age of three.
"I am katutubo, from Ifugao, Kiangan. Nakatira kami sa bundok, at wala akong bakuna laban sa polio," she said.
"After two days of high fever, my mom decided to take the 8-hour hike down from the mountain to have me checked by Belgian missionaries. They suspected polio and advised my mom to have me brought to Manila, at the San Lazaro Hospital, to confirm," Dumapong continued.
They tried treatments like electric massages and physical therapy, but it was too late. She was paralyzed from the waist down. At three, all she could do was crawl on the floor.
"By the time I was six, the Belgian missionaries asked what my mother’s plan was for me. They said I can go to Manila, where I will be able to attend school. There were six of us children, and my parents had to make the very difficult decision to let me go," she continued.
Sports as an outlet
Dumapong ended up staying for 10 years at Bahay Mapagmahal, a shelter for children with special needs that was run and managed by the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary together with the Philippine Orthopedic Center.
“Our schedule was rigid; we could not go outside. That was when started getting into sports, because kung athlete ka pwede ka lumabas sa compound for training,” she recalled. It was also there that she learned to play musical instruments like the banduria and guitar because they were encouraged to make full use of their time by always being productive.
“I tried everything – swimming, wheelchair racing, javelin, basketball. Throughout my elementary and high school years, even if the Sister has not even finished asking who [wanted] to join something, my hand was already raised! Amazona ang tawag nila sa akin noon,” she laughs. “I was discouraged from doing sports when I was in college, however, as the Sisters said I should focus on my studies because of my scholarship.”
I would only have P100 for example, and when the taxi meter hit that amount, sasabihin ko sa taxi driver ibaba na lang ako sa tabi. I would wheel the rest of the way to my training, rain or shine.
Even after she finished her 4-year course on B.S. Computer Secretarial Education, she kept going back to Bahay Mapagmahal. “It was home for me. It was where I grew up." There, she taught younger individuals to play musical instruments.
That was when she found her calling towards para powerlifting. “There were some of my male friends there and they jokingly invited me to join them in lifting barbels. Tapos, natalo ko sila.”
She won her first international para powerlifting medal at the 1999 Far Eastern South Pacific Games, a precursor of the Asian Games, in Bangkok, Thailand, and trained for the US qualifying round for the Sydney Paralympic Games where she won her first gold medal.
Fortitude against adversity
Dumapong's road to gold was not an easy one. Her compelling story was featured in GCash Stories, which showed her fundraising for her efforts, calling on a list of donors and being rejected, albeit kindly, time and again. She recounted times when she did not even have enough money to get to her training.
“I couldn’t take public transport, so I had to rely on taxis. I would only have P100 for example, and when the taxi meter hit that amount, sasabihin ko sa taxi driver ibaba na lang ako sa tabi. I would wheel the rest of the way to my training, rain or shine,” she shared.
“I was stressed, I was going through self-pity. It caused me a lot of heartache. It affected my self-confidence, hiyang-hiya ako sa sarili ko, because there was the feeling of being poor, tapos ganon ka pa. There were times ang liit liit ng tingin ko sa sarili ko,” she said of her journey. “But if I could go back and talk to my old self, I would tell her to relax and assure her that everything is going to be ok in the end. If I [were] to go back, I would work on my self-esteem, my self-confidence. Ang pagtinging sa sarili napaka-importante, and dahil sa sports na-develop ko iyan.”
The Belgian nuns who took her in helped her to develop grit. “I was taught never to choose the easy way out. Learn to sacrifice, and do not complain. The voice in my head is that one of the nuns who would say, ‘tiyaga, tiyaga, tiyaga.’”
Empowering others
Now retired and coaching the next gen of para powerlifters, Dumapong continues her fundraising activities, but this time through the convenience of GCash services. “This is the power of technology, and the power to bring people together. This time, I am not asking for myself, but to support other PWD athletes.”
Let’s face it—we are different, we cannot walk like you do, we are in wheelchairs, we will never be the same as everybody else. Ang gusto kong mangyari ay ang pagbukas ng isip na kami ay parang karaniwang tao lang.
She is also active as one of the advocates of Women With Disabilities Leap To Social And Economic Progress (WOW LEAP) Inc. “Ang nais naming iparating ay ang pagbubukas ng isip sa mga taong may kapansanan. I know already that we will never be a normal thing. Let’s face it—we are different, we cannot walk like you do, we are in wheelchairs, we will never be the same as everybody else. Ang gusto kong mangyari ay ang pagbukas ng isip na kami ay parang karaniwang tao lang.”
She added, “As an athlete with a disability, feeling ko alam na alam ko kung ano mga problema ng sektor namin – feeling ko lang pala,” shared Dumapong.
She continued: "Nung nasa WOWLEAP, Inc. ako at naka-kwentuhan ko ang mga lider ng mga kababaihan, at nalaman at mas nabuksan ang isip ko sa mga needs ng community, I realized again that the world is bigger than sports. Naremind ako na kailangan pa rin ng pag-aaral at edukasyon tungkol sa mga pinagdadaanan ng mga persons with disabilities."
Dumapong stated that she is more motivated to contribute to her community and empower other women with disabilities through her work.
"Now, I’m more motivated to help my community, and I hope that through my work, I will be able to reach out to more women with disabilities in different areas of the country and work together on ways to meet their needs."
Support for PWD communities
Through her story, GCash’s Chief Marketing Officer Neil Trinidad said people are reminded of the "potential in every individual, regardless of their abilities."
GCash has partnered with the National Council for Disability Affairs to create a more inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities. The company aims to integrate policies, innovative programs, and accessible spaces by 2025. Additionally, the company has supported capacity-building programs and donated wheelchairs to the Philippine Orthopedic Center.
"We hope this film sparks a conversation about the need for inclusion and progress for all, especially the greater support needed for the community of persons with disabilities."