Sotogrande Palawan rang in the holiday spirit during their Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on November 22 at Brgy. Tagburos, with special performances from selected learners from the Palawan Special Child Parents’ Handicrafts Worker’s Association to join in their festivities.
The Palawan Special Child Parents’ Handicrafts Worker’s Association (PSCPHWA), formerly known as the Special Olympics Palawan Chapter and the Palawan Special Consumers Cooperative, is a local organization dedicated to organizing sports events for special needs learners of school age in Puerto Princesa City.
Hazel Dandal, a volunteer at the PSCPHWA, noted that they frequently partnered with schools as well as the therapy centers in the city to provide meaningful activities for kids with disabilities and special needs, all the while providing support for the kids’ parents and guardians.
”Nagkakaroon kami ng olympics sa Balayong Park every July, as part of the Person with Disabilities (PWD) month, tapos may special games in partnerships with the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) from the City Mayor’s Office. Meron din kaming mga volunteers,” she said.
Dandal noted that Sotogrande Palawan’s invitation was a pleasant surprise for their younger learners, who had received school supplies and gift bags during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the grounds of the hotel.
One of their members from Sicsican, Ross Antonio Agmuyao, led the doxology number with a rendition of “Amazing Grace”, while their younger members performed a dance number during the pre-lighting ceremony.
Karine Lumbo, Cluster Operations Manager for Sotogrande Palawan stated that they were committed to partnering with local organizations for their community outreach programs.
“Our commitment is not only to the community, but also to children. We always extend help to kids, whether with special needs or not – but this holiday season, we wanted to make them feel especially happy, particularly those with special needs. This year, we aimed to raise more awareness because we feel they are not often given opportunities to be part of events like this.,” she stated.
In particular, Lumbo praised the artwork and handicrafts done by the special learners within the association, the proceeds of which go directly to the makers and not the association itself.
When asked to look back on what they were most proud of in 2025, Dandal stated that the annual celebration of the Special Olympics that were organized by the PSCPHWA and the PDAO office will always be the most memorable part of their year.
Furthermore, she said that they were looking forward to more events for their association’s mission in the next few years to raise awareness for their cause, including events such as Thera-free, the free therapy event headed by Chatter Therapy Center from Manila where PSCPHWA is one of the volunteers every Baragatan celebration, where they invite therapists from Manila to join in the local festivities as well as
