This PWD national volleyball player is living proof that disability is not inability!
19-year-old national athlete Edwin Enguito Jr. from Zamboanga City said that his sisters and father, who are all volleyball players, played a big role in entering the said sport.
“Nag-start ako maglaro sa kalye po at sa schools. Actually po, my parents, my dad, abd my three ates. They’re all so supportive in everything that I do. Pinu-push po nila ako sa kahit anong gusto ko po. Wala naman din po silang doubt sa akin,” he told The Philippine STAR.
Edwin’s condition is inborn. He doesn’t have a left hand and a leg. He started playing volleyball in grade school. Since then, he has been representing his school.
“When I was in Grade 3, I started loving volleyball. Nakita ko po sa school na naglalaro [sila] ng volleyball so na-enganyo rin ako. Nag-start ako maglaro sa kalye po at sa schools. Hindi hadlang itong kapansanan ko para gawin ‘yung mga bagay-bagay po na ganoon. After ng training sa school, nagte-train din ako sa bahay,” he shared.
Despite his disability, Edwin said that he is thankful for his parents for making his life easier and supporting him in any way they can.
He is the youngest among his siblings. His father is a fisherman while his mom is a housewife.
“Kasi starting po na pinanganak ako ng parents ko, they exposed me sa community na hindi ako kinakahiya. Hindi ko po maiwasan na minsan napapaisip, ‘Bakit nagkaganito ako? Sana meron akong ganito.’ Pero nang dahil nga po sa exposure ng parents ko sa akin, hindi ko na po siya naiisip. I never asked about this situation sa parents ko. Nahihiya na lang din po akong itanong sa kanila kasi hindi naman din nila ginusto ‘yung ganitong situation,” Edwin said.
He stressed that because of his disability, discrimination is inevitable, luckily, he learned how to deal with it while growing up.
“Hindi naman po kasi ‘yun maiiwasan. Pero dahil sa exposure na ginawa sa akin ng parents ko, parang niready nila ako sa society na merong mga taong may masasabi kahit ano pong gawin natin. Dumaan ako sa phase na parang naapektuhan ako pero eventually, nagiging martyr na po ako kasi nasasanay naman po ako,” he said.
“Dati pumupunta ako ng school without having crutches po kasi nahihiya po ako noon na magdala. Iniisip ko sa sarili ko na lulumpo ka na, wala ka na pong pakinabang. Parang loser na ako masyado. Pero eventually, noong Grade 8, nag-start na po ako mag-crutches, then nagko-commute every time,” he added.
Edwin expressed how much playing volleyball means to him. He joined a volleyball clinic in Cotabato City and he became viral while playing.
Fortunately, a coach from the national team reached out to him and asked him to join and play in the Paralympics.
“Na-scout po ako nung national team po ng paralympics so they contacted me po. Then ayun po nag-start na po ako mag-training sa Paralympics,” Edwin said.
“‘Yung national team, parang hindi ko pa siya naging dream kasi parang impossible sakin mismo. That time na ‘yun parang nao-overwhelm ako, parang hindi ko alam anong magiging reaction ko. I’m so proud of it,” he added.
Edwin was able to represent Philippines during the Paralympics in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in June 2023!
“Ang gusto ko rin po sa mga teammates ko, sa mga nakakahalubilo ko is ine-equal lang po nila ako sa kanila. Tinitignan nila ako as normal tapos ‘yung coaches ko po, kung ano ‘yung training nila, ganoon din ‘yung akin. Hindi po talaga hadlang ang pagkakaroon ng kapansanan kasi po if you want something po, makukuha at makukuha n’yo po basta’t pagtyagaan n’yo po,” he noted.
“Patuloy lang mangarap. Wag po mawalan ng tiwala sa sarili. Huwag po natin i-mind ‘yung mga taong nagbabash po sa atin kasi they are not relevant at all. Push through lang po. Wag po natin i-limit ang sarili natin at wag po natin pagdudahan ang sarili natin kasi tayo lang po ang nakakaalam kung ano ang ating kakayanan po,” Edwin said when asked about his message to fellow PWDs.
