Hope for a bright future ahead for the kids
TACLOBAN CITY– The Commission on Population and Development(CPD) in Eastern Visayas marked on Thursday(July 27), the 9th year of the seven children who were earlier identified as ‘symbolic babies’ when the Philippines reached the 100 million mark back in 2014.
However, of the seven symbolic babies, one of them, who was from Biliran province, died in 2016 due to a lingering ailment.
The CPD, earlier known as the Population Commission (Popcom), celebrated the 9th year of Rian Go of Tacloban City; Sunrey Abenales of Northern Samar; Miller Josh Tondo of Leyte; Blair Catalea Balabis of Southern Leyte; Jody Cervantes of Eastern Samar; and Joven Rey Arsenio of Samar, a grand birthday celebration.
All received gifts and cakes from CPD and other government agencies.
Nina Abenales, 36, said that she feels ‘honored’ that her son Sunrey was among the symbolic babies of the region relative to the 100 million passing of the country’s population.
“I was not even aware of it at first until I was informed by a hospital staff that my baby was chosen as one of the 100 million symbolic babies,” she said.
She delivered Sunrey at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman on July 27, 2014. Her other son, Christian, is now 10 years old.
Abenales said that she hopes that her son, who is now in Grade III, will have a bright future ahead of him.
“We are just poor. My husband is in Pampanga working in a private company and in fact, he has not seen Junrey since his birth,” she said.
Abenales, incidentally, was just named a health officer of their village in Doña Pulqueria, Catarman.
Elnora Pulma, the regional head of CPD, said that these symbolic babies, who were born before midnight of July 27, 2014, were not just part of the 100 million Filipinos.
But rather, she said, representation that in the future, all Filipinos will lead a ‘quality of life.’
“(The celebration) is very significant because it poses a challenge for all of us to have a right of a quality of life…to ensure that all Filipinos will actually benefit responsible services being provided by the government,” Pulma said.
Her office, she insisted, is one with the hope that every Filipino child will have a brighter future and in an atmosphere where they could fulfill their full potential as an individual.
