'One Fun Day' with Mutya ng Pilipinas 2018 candidates

Fifty candidates of the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2018 beauty pageant spread cheer when they built friendships for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities (IDDs).

The girls laughed, danced and enriched their lives with amazing friendships as part of the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas Charity Day held at the De La Salle University College of St. Benilde on Taft Avenue in Manila Saturday.

"This is a wonderful experience for all the 'Mutya girls! Mutya ng Pilipinas is committed to help spread awareness about people with IDDs," says Hemilyn Escudero-Tamayo, President of the Mutya ng Pilipinas Organization, during a speech at the charity event dubbed "One Fun Day."

Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with IDDs, says Michelle Aventajado, country director, Best Buddies.

Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to almost 1,700 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. "It's an international organization started by the Kennedy family."

Best Buddies programs engage participants in each of the 50 United States, and in 50 countries around the world. Best Buddies Manila was established in 2014 and aims to continue the mission and vision of Best Buddies International here in the Philippines.

"Best Buddies Programs are aimed to nurture genuine friendships for individuals with IDD. For volunteers, it is an excellent way to reach out to individuals who will definitely enrich their life experiences with amazing friendships!," says Aventajado.

"We promote inclusion through fun, meaningful, and enriching one to one friendships between individuals with and those without IDD;

"We provide employment opportunities and job support for people with IDDs by matching them to companies that practice inclusion in the workplace," she says.

Says Aventajado: "We are so honored to tie-up with them (Mutya ng Pilipinas) and partner with them to bring more awareness to our mission of inclusion."

Aventajado says that she is pushing for schools nationwide to come up with Best Buddies chapter. "We aim to get into public schools. My chapters are in public schools and private schools. We have the Best Buddies College of St. Benilde Chapter that's why we're here. They are the host of our activity."

"Not all schools have Best Buddies chapters. But I love to get into every school in the country because all the people will become aware of the importance of including all individuals. The difference with other organizations is that we focus on friendship, social inclusion," she adds.

"I fight for education and I'm a teacher. I know the inclusion on education. Statistics show that when they reach the age of 21, if they have IDDs, they have no friends. The people that they interact with is only their family or their doctors;

"These kids have no safe place to go. I don't want that. I want them to bring their kids to our events that's safe. There's no reason for the parents to worry for their kids because the people here are inclusive, accepting and that's what we are trying to do if you start them young," Aventajado says. - ROBERT REQUINTINA