Brent Nighel Anzano with Rowena Guanzon who is holding a bag painted by Joemel Bernard Arroyo (l-r) at the Negros Trade Fair in Makati.*
The sales at the ongoing 36th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) at Glorietta 2 in Makati City hit P18.1 million on Thursday, Sybel Nobleza, Association of Negros Producers (ANP) external affairs manager, said on Friday, September 23.
The NTF sales from Tuesday to Thursday increased by 29 percent compared to the first three days of their 2019 trade fair in Makati, she said.
The ongoing NTF will run until Sunday, September 25.
Most products at the trade fair, including those of special needs students, were enjoying brisk sales.
Among the products on sale at the NTF are those produced by the special needs students of Happy Beginners School of Learning in Bacolod, its owner and president Anne Marie Makilan said.
Makilan said among their products are placemats, coasters and picture frames.
“Our children have special needs…However, this does not make them less of a person because they are talented and differently abled in their own way,” she said.
She said their school develops programs based on the student’s developmental needs. Their Transition and Pre-Vocational Program aims to help them acquire skills for employment, Makilan said.
The school partnered with Josephine Locsin of Tumandok Crafts and Industries to help the special needs children do functional activities.
They also make “pinakurat” and “sinamak” spiced vinegar and sandwich spreads, she said.
Joemel Bernard Arroyo, 16, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of their students who has a talent in painting.
He can paint on canvass, bags and shoes and has showcased this talent at the NTF.
Brent Nighel Anzano, who also has ASD, makes picture frames and trays using wood, capiz shells and coconut shells.
The earnings from all the products sold at the NTF will go directly to the students with special needs under their Transition and Pre-Vocational Program, she said.
They have opened their own bank accounts so they will learn the value of money and how to save, she said.
Currently, they have 14 students under the Pre-Vocational Program whose ages range from 11 years old and up.
Makilan is also a mother of a child with special needs.
Her son, Gabby, 12, was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay with Cerebral Palsy and cannot walk and talk.
It is because of him, that she started her school and its special programs in 2012, she said.
“Gabby has taught me to give without asking, be patient in adversity, courageous beyond my capacity, believe in miracles and to persevere tirelessly and advocate for children with special needs,” Makilan said.*