Yummy and cheap paella!

P78 for a serving of paella?

Trust a foodie like Nancy Reyes-Lumen (editor-in-chief, Cook Magazine) to know the greatest food finds around Makati. The few times she talked about this really yummy paella down Dela Rosa Street, near the riles ng tren, I wasn’t really listening. Anything Nancy recommends would surely burn a hole in my pocket, I thought. She did mention that one can have individual orders for less than one hundred pesos, but that didn’t register.

Until, of course, that man com meeting last month when Nancy, who was celebrating her birthday that day, sent us this huge paellera filled with really tempting Paella Valenciana. We all helped ourselves to the wonderful paella, bursting with the most succulent prawns and clams and the freshest veggies, the moment our chairman adjourned the meeting. When Nancy dropped by, we all thanked her for taking the effort to whip up this really delightful paella. But she was quick to say she didn’t have a hand in the preparation of the rice dish. Again, she said, she ordered the paella down Dela Rosa Street, near the riles ng tren, from this hole-in-the-wall where a former Casa Armas chef lives. She couldn’t exactly recall the name of the place, she said, but she just paid P1,400 for that paella that 15 of us wolfed down.

The next day, Nancy treated her staff to paella during their weekly meeting and I was lucky enough to be summoned to the room just as lunch was being served. This time, they had Paella Negra on the table. Again, it was so yummy, the rice cooked to the right softness and bursting with the flavor of the squid ink. I was so absorbed in my paella to understand what the meeting was all about. All I remember was Nancy saying that she got the Paella Negra again for P1,400 thereabouts, from this carinderia down the street.

The following day, I was on a mission. Braving the heat of the sun, I walked down Dela Rosa Street in search of this carinderia. My husband, intrigued by my paella stories the past two days, walked all the way from his office near AIM to join me in my carinderia hunt.

It didn’t take us long to find Paella Atbp. The carinderia, housed on the first floor of an old apartment, was probably just 30 steps from the corner of Dela Rosa and Chino Roces Avenues. Inside were around six small tables and a counter where the chafing dishes containing various dishes – pork liempo, chop suey, grilled tuna, soup -- were arranged. At the center was a big paellera bursting with Paella Valenciana.

We immediately lined up to order paella, a serving of which cost P78. The server told us that we had to order a viand as well if we wanted the paella. We asked how much the other viands would cost, but no, he clarified, that would be part of the P78. How could we complain?

Excited, I opted for the pork liempo while Noel went for grilled tuna. It wasn’t long before we were served our paella with the additional viand. Noel immediately devoured the tuna, which he noted to be fresh and cooked just right. I had to wait a bit longer because the pork liempo was still being cooked, but it sure was worth the wait. The meat was flavorful, tender and went very well with my paella.

All in all, we spent less than P200 (we each bought soft drinks for P14 per bottle) for our lunch that day but we were more satisfied. Sure, the airconditioning wasn’t strong, and the smell of food stuck to our clothes and hair, but this was not what we came for, right?

People I Admire: Kenneth Cobonpue

(Published in Personal Fortune Magazine, January 2006)

More than Kenneth Cobonpue's artistry, it is his understanding of the importance of branding that I found noteworthy. I also found him very laid-back and humble, despite the success he has met.

Cebu’s treasure trove of wonders has inspired many an artist. Its gleaming waters -- home to the lushest sea grasses, the most ornate of shells, and the most stunning marine creatures -- and its emerald hills and mountains, resplendent with dazzling greenery, create a glorious spectacle that nature itself finds hard to replicate.

Of course, people can at least try. Furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, current toast of the Asian and European furniture design circuit, has attempted to bring these images to life in his works – with superb results. Using natural fibers, mainly rattan, Cobonpue has thoughtfully crafted luxurious, curvy furniture with novel hand-made production techniques. The result: playful and refreshing takes on the shapes and images of nature.

This design philosophy would unexpectedly catapult him to the big league. The 37-year old designer first made his mark at the Milan furniture Fair 2001, when he showcased his works with that of other Philippine designers in a joint show called Movement 8. Newsweek took notice of the “remarkable stuff” made by young “Southeast Asian designers rethinking steel-and-leather minimalism with breezy, tropical charm.”

Kenneth has since gone up several notches in the furniture design arena, with “Wallpaper” magazine recently nominating him as one of the icons of contemporary design, alongside leading lights Philippine Starck and Antonio Citterio. His works have appeared in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 editions of the prestigious International Design Yearbook, curated by Ross Lovegrove, Tom Dixon and Marcel Wanders, respectively. Kenneth is a seven-time winner of the Japan Good Design Award, and his list of awards continues to grow. His list of clients includes Bradd Pitt (who bought the Croissant chair, Pigalle chair, Voyage bed and doughnut bed) and Warner Brothers, which commissioned him to do the casino set for the movie Ocean’s Thirteen.

Kenneth’s quick ascent is by no means a mere stroke of luck, but the result of years of hard work and discipline. As a child, he witnessed how his mother, Betty Cobonpue, started a furniture business right in their own backyard. “I’ve always envisioned myself making things, like building boats,” he relates. Hoping to follow in his mother’s footsteps, he went on to study Industrial Design at New York’s Pratt Institute, before apprenticing for a leather and wood workshop in Florence, Italy. He then studied furniture marketing and production at the Export Akademie Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany under a private and state scholarship program.

Kenneth could have chosen to stay on in the United States but the recession made him decide to head for home in 1996. “It was not so good in the US then,” he recalled, and he thought it would be good to help out in managing the family business, called Interior Crafts of the Islands. It turned out to be a propitious move.

Back in his studio in sun-blessed Cebu, Kenneth perfected designs that would win him international acclaim. His trademark curvilinear designs and rounded look had a character that many appreciated for their freshness and uniqueness. His first design was called the Yin and Yang, whose see-through look was meant to showcase the elements of nature. It also featured the detailed hand techniques that would mirror his careful attention to detail. Yet Kenneth does not let design get in the way of functionality. “There is nothing superfluous or decorative about my design,” he points out.

Using fastening techniques culled from traditional boat building, Kenneth also experimented with an array of natural and synthetic materials from his native Cebu -- carbon materials, bamboo, sea grass, leather, stone, paper and naturally, rattan. Half of the materials used in his designs are sourced from within the Philippines; the rest are imported. His carbon chair, for instance, uses high tech material fashioned by local craftsmen. “The application is limitless for a thing that is well made,” he says.

Such cutting-edge designs do not always come to Kenneth in a flash. Though most of his designs are inspired by nature or more mundane items (the much-awarded Lolah chair was inspired by a can of coke), Kenneth admits that designs necessarily come by design. A design, he says, is something that one has to work on. “Design is a discipline. It’s important that you spend time for it. You really just have to make it happen. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t.” He reveals how a design can take as long as a year or two to complete. “If it doesn’t work, we come back to it and find a solution.”

What differentiates Kenneth Cobonpue’s creations from other Philippine-made furniture, however, is the very brand it carries. “Philippine furniture is usually sold under a different name. There is no real value other than the manufacturing component which Vietnam and China can easily copy,” he notes. To ensure the integrity of his designs, Kenneth took the route that no other Filipino designer has done before: “I branded it.”

In branding his furniture, Kenneth sees himself creating the “model for the future of the industry.” The idea, he says, is to “sell Filipino culture, to make it truly global.”

Today, Interior Crafts of the Islands employs 3 craftsmen and 50 weavers, all trained by Kenneth, who help him stock showrooms across the globe, from Shanghai to Madrid to New York. Kenneth Cobonpue is one of the few furniture makers that publishes its own catalogue. He admits a certain pride to have someone like Bradd Pitt buying his works. “It’s flattering that he can choose anything in the world and he still chooses these things.”

Kenneth, though, sees beyond the glamour of his celebrity buyers “Fame from Brad Pitt buying (my works) is one thing, but respect from my contemporaries is more fulfilling.”

He is proud to be able to exhibit his works alongside those of Marcel Wanders and Ross Lovegrove, and professes an admiration for the works of Philippe Starck and Issey Miyake. “I’d like to do to furniture what he did for fashion,” he says.

A pragmatist, Kenneth recognizes the difficulty of selling his own brand in a world dominated by major brands. “It’s difficult selling a Philippine brand but we do it anyway,” he says. That, of course, will entail building the name. “You build the brand—brand is not about furniture, but about the lifestyle.”

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Certainly, there is no stopping Kenneth Cobonpue from turning over new stones and in advancing Asian design. “I always want to reinvent myself, surprise myself, and carry the look further.”

Special Moms for Special Kids: God Knows Exactly What He's Doing

By Erma Bombeck

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Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.
This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of disabled children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of disabled children are chosen?
Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia."
"Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.
I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations.
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice... and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised in midair.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice

A Twelve Year Special Journey

May 12, 1996, Mother’s Day and coincidentally my mother’s birthday, was one of the most memorable days of my life. While preparing to attend the lunch party we were throwing my mom, I was jolted by a sudden spasm that told me an “unexpected” visitor was coming that day. My eldest son, not due to make his grand entrance until another two weeks down the road, had decided it was time for him to join our family.

Twelve years to this day, Ragu was born. Twelve years ago, I embarked on that journey called motherhood, and found out a little later that mine would be an even more “special” journey because two of my kids would turn out – well – special.

Few, I know, realize that Ragu is special. (In fact, by now, I’ve learned that special is a relative term, one that belongs to the eye of the beholder.) It took me a long time to realize that, and for years, I was lost in the jargon of development pediatricians, special education consultants and therapists. The development pediatrician said he was “normal”, but showed signs of hyperactivity and speech delays. The SPED consultant declared he was “normal” but had “autistic spots.” Everyone else refused to label him (which alternately elated and confused me) till one day, when he was 8, I saw his Individualized Educational Program (IEP) filled up by his homeroom teacher indicating his diagnosis as “autism.” I never knew homeroom teachers were supposed to make up their own diagnoses, but by then, I’ve learned to rise above labels, so I left it at that.

Ragu is a case who drives SPED consultants batty. Each time he would take a standardized test, the test administrator always ends up telling me that my son was the first to achieve that kind of score in the test. I have come to expect the same results and the amazement and awe of the specialists. His latest Psycho-Educational profile, taken when he was 10, pegged his cognitive and mathematical abilities at the level of a college student. He teaches his dad -- a numbers and computer freak who probably spent all of his teenage years playing video games – how to navigate RPG games. One day, he stunned his dad when he wrote a computer program which his dad claims they talked about as they brushed their teeth. As for me, I am this old woman whom he will sympathetically aid when handling anything with batteries on it.

Don’t ask about verbal abilities, though – his verbal abilities were equivalent to a six year old’s. In fact, I thought at that time that was too high. His six-year old brother, Jacob, was far more articulate than he was. I always knew that Ragu wasn’t much of a talker but that didn’t worry me, especially when at age 1, he knew the numbers 1 to 20. At 16 months, he knew the entire alphabet and his primary and secondary colors. That his only other words were “ma” and “da” worried me just a wee bit. I could communicate with him, and that was what mattered.

Of course, the nuns at DML Montessori -- who were initially impressed with this boy who knew the basics (by then he could count to 100) – did not think this way. They told me Ragu “was very mobile” and “restless”. Initially, they tried all known measures to control “the little supervisor” who refused to sit down, even delegating one nun to just follow him around. The nuns even stormed the heavens with prayers, just as I did, to get little Ragu to just sit down, but I guess God didn’t think it was time to slow down his little Energizer Bunny. After countless presentations and flag ceremonies wherein everybody cooperated except for the “supervisor” who explored like a goat out in the meadows, I just knew Ragu was different. Special, perhaps, but to a mom, a son is always special.

This realization would bring me to the world of special education and special needs in the Philippines. In the next few years, Ragu, his dad and I, would embark on a long journey full of joys and discoveries, frustrations and fears, all of which would only enlighten us and bring us closer together, and prepare us for something else – the arrival of his youngest brother, Isaac, who is severely autistic.

Last Saturday, we celebrated Ragu’s birthday with a simple dinner at TGI Friday’s. He happily devoured his burger and was pleasantly surprised when the boisterous birthday crew came with their tambourines to give him a birthday jig. We reminded him that next year, he would already be a teenager, and yes, he said, he was ready for that.

Happy birthday, Ragu!

The Start of our Journey

I was going through my old files and saw this, which I wrote when I was just beginning to understand what it meant to be a mother to a special, super child.
Published in BusinessWorld, December 7, 2002

I remember the day the somber-faced nun called me into her room. Ragu, my three-year-old, had been in school for a week, and everyday, when I would ask his teachers how he had been, they would always say "very mobile," "restless," or words to that effect. Once, a kindly sister approached me with what she apparently deemed to be a compliment: "Your son sat down today," as if she had just mapped out the secret of the human genome.

I guess I had expected to be called. After all, my son was somewhat immature, and the sisters probably wanted to find ways to make his adjustment to school easier.

But I wasn't prepared for what the directress had to say: "Your son seems to be disturbed." My boy had been throwing toys around, she said. Could it be that he had been physically abused or witnessed episodes of violence at home - between his mommy and daddy perhaps?

I assured her that my husband and I were peaceloving citizens and that corporal punishment just was not our cup of tea. We both agreed that it was premature to worry just a week into a new schoolyear, and left it at that.

But even if the violence had disappeared in a week, the nagging thought never left me. Each day, as I would take him to his classroom, I would watch him go around to everywhere but his seat. The rare days that he managed to sit a few minutes, his eyes would be everywhere but on the teacher.

It didn't help that everyday, the children had to go to this huge assembly hall for prayers and the National Anthem. At the end of each day, the haggard look on the nun, whose vow of sacrifice suddenly included having to hold on to the whirling dervish that was my kid, would tell me all.

Smart kid. Still, his teachers agreed he was one smart kid. An extremely quick learner, he knew his alphabet and his numbers at fifteen months, had the memory of an elephant, operated complicated gadgets his yaya couldn't figure out and showed analytical ability well beyond his years.

How many times had he screamed in exasperation at the stupidity of other kids, and yes, his mommy, with computer games? What, Ragu built that 3-D castle? In fact, the sisters would sometimes let him out of the classroom earlier than the rest of his class - "he already knows the lesson," they would explain to his yaya - although I would sometimes wonder if they were just buying themselves some peace and quiet.

Which is not to say that the sisters treated him poorly. In fact, they were extremely patient with and concerned about my little boy, giving in to his outbursts of energy and assorted whims in a manner that they deemed appropriate.

They also tried every discipline tactic in the book on this "innocent, loveable angel," but four months into the school-year, I knew they were still at a loss as to what to do.

Panic button. I do not exactly know when I started to press the panic button. Maybe it was when I got his report card and more than half of it - the portion that covered behavior and socialization - was left blank, never mind if the part covering academics was great.

Or maybe it was when they had this presentation, and he just pranced and ran around while the rest of the class performed. Some parents consoled me and said it was just childhood exuberance; others shook their heads, probably thinking what lousy parents this kid had.

Before the directress could suggest I do anything, I had already burned the lines to my development pediatrician, neurologist and psychiatrist friends in the United States. I had also read volumes on that animal called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

ADHD is the most common disorder among American schoolchildren, affecting about 5% of the population. It has three subtypes: hyperactive, inattentive (informally referred to as ADD) and combination. Interestingly, ADHD appears to be an American malady, diagnosed roughly ten times as often Stateside than in Europe or Asia. In the Philippines, there are no numbers although I would later find out that I am not the only parent besieged by ADHD.

The definition of ADHD is vague, to say the least. It mentions something about the child being fidgety, inattentive, forgetful, being seemingly driven by a motor, talking excessively, among others.

The very elastic definition of ADHD brought doubts to my mind. I mean, what child isn't distractible and restless? Isn't a high level of energy a part of childhood? And what about temperament? If you ask me, that high energy level also gave him incredible spunk, a kind of grit and sparkle I do not quite see in less active children.

Even my husband was aghast. He had exactly been like our son as a child, he claimed, and though he drove his teachers crazy and was eventually kicked out by the priests in the respected boy's school he attended, he has now turned out to be an upright citizen of the world.

Evaluation. Expectedly, I took Ragu for an evaluation. The development pediatrician was extremely calm, especially since my little boy was just three. I had expected her to give me the death sentence, but she was noncommittal, noting that my boy could simply be acting his age.

She noted, though, that he was "very visual." "Mabilis magbabasa eto," ("this boy will learn to read quickly,") she predicted. Of course, I knew that. Even then, he could already read words like "congratulations," "gopher" and "odd-balls." Waiters gawk in disbelief at this speeding wonder who can read the "open," "close," and "exit" signs on doors.

On her recommendation, I moved my boy to a much smaller school and enlisted the help of an occupational and speech therapist to help direct his energies, develop his abilities and teach him appropriate behavior. On my own, I asked a special education teacher to follow him in school twice a week.

Frustration and hope. And thus began my odyssey to the curious world of ADHD, a journey that opened me to as much frustration as hope.

Even without an ADHD tag, frustration came in torrents, usually by way of people who never quite understood ADHD, seeing it as a disability that would forever keep my boy from any form of achievement.

The greatest pain came from those who adjudged my son rotten.

I remember the day he declared: "I am a bad boy." I went on ends finding out who told him so.

But hope also came aplenty, and this week, it came by way of a meeting with Kevin and Maying Kwok, a committed couple who also had to deal with the hurts of having a child labelled ADHD and enduring the tremendous misinformation and ignorance of the syndrome among the responsible adults their six-year-old son interacts with.

With "lots of prayer," they were able to invite Jeffrey Freed, a US-based educational therapist and consultant who has worked with more than 1,500 gifted and ADHD children in the last 13 years, to come to Manila to teach them, and other parents, how to best teach their ADHD kids.

Mr. Freed is the author of the book "Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World: Unlocking the Potentials of your ADD Child," which has sold over 110,000 copies. He will be discussing his teaching strategies this week in a series of workshops and lectures at the AVA Community Center in Alabang.

Talking with Mr. Freed gave me the kind of hope I haven't felt in years. For the first time, here was someone who knew the ADHD child's strengths, delighting "in uncovering the many gifts these children and, as they become adults, possess and demonstrating them for the world to see - my way of getting even with all the teachers who failed to understand me." Yes, Mr. Freed, too, suffers from ADD.

Right-brained. But here's what got me. Mr. Freed asserts that ADD children share a "strikingly common attribute: they have a visual, right-brained learning style." Since the right side of the brain controls spatial and artistic ability, emotions and holistic thought, ADD children are often "intensely creative, can do difficult math problems in their heads, and are excellent speed readers.

"They have a powerful visual memory, easily retrieving information stored on their mental blackboard. They are more likely to be gifted. Many are born perfectionists and are extremely competitive. They are super intuitive and can read you like a book. They are good at building things, think in three dimensions, and notice patterns and connections.

"Right-brained ADD children are hypersensitive in almost every sense of the word, would likely have acute hearing, eagle eyes that can pick up on the most minute detail, a keen sense of smell, and tactile defensiveness."

I didn't know if I would laugh or cry when I first heard this. He had just described Ragu.

Back to earth. But his other assertions promptly brought me back to earth. "Children like these tend to do poorly in school, first, because their antennae are always up and are easily distracted by external stimuli; second, educators tend to be left-brained, detail-oriented auditory processors who view visual learners as flawed." Again, another visceral truth. How many times have I been told that my boy "just doesn't want to listen?"

Street smarts, "a balanced form of intelligence" is rewarding in life, but it is not so in the classroom.

Still, Mr. Freed tells us these children can be educated well, if only educators and teachers care to utilize these children's skills and remember that these children "learn things differently."

Linear, sequential methods, the step-by-step method of teaching, would definitely fail with these children. But doing it from their areas of strength would work wonders.

Reversing the traditional teaching method. So how does he teach the disinterested child? Mr. Freed says he simply "reverses" traditional teaching methods. Take spelling, for instance. For a child who struggles with phonics and sounding out words, he holds up a white paper with the word spelled out in colored letters, and asks them to remember the word by making a picture of it in their minds. Phonics is then sometimes used as a finishing tool.

Mr. Freed has had nice results with this. Students who couldn't spell anything longer than five-letter words can now tackle words such as existentialism, antidis-establishmentarianism and parapseudo-microbrainscanology. "Attack spelling using an area of strength, the student's sharp visual memory," he advises.

Math is taught in a similar fashion. ADHD kids would likely struggle doing math using pencil and paper. So Mr. Freed takes these away and asks them to do mental math, or a series of computations in their heads.

"The right-brained child can develop his ability to visualize and hold numbers to solve challenging problems without having to labor through a series of painful written steps. I have worked with several of these students who are practically human calculators!"

For reading, asking these kids to slow down isn't the way to go. Instead, they do better by speed-reading passages several times. The first time allows them to scan the material and get "the big picture" while subsequent readings enable them to fill in the details. He encourages parents to "read and read to their children - long stories, no pictures, then ask them to visualize."

A powerful tool. Visualization can be so powerful a tool for these children that it is also the way to discipline them. Since they do would not likely think of the consequences of their actions, telling them to visualize these before they undertake anything should help.

In a nutshell, Mr. Freed teaches these children a different way to learn.

"If I can harness their visual memory, I can instruct them to use their mental blackboards to place spelling lists, time tables, math formulas, maps and periodic tables. The right-brained child can retrieve the images from his mind as easily as the left-brained child looks up the answer in a book."

Computers, if used properly, can help as well - Reader Rabbit, Jump Start, and other educational types. He, however, draws the line at video games, "which make the child more right-brained," and TV, "which develops no brain at all." These, he believes, "makes them more visual and right-brained than they are genetically programmed to be."

Psychology. Of course, Mr. Freed uses a "great deal of psychology" as well. "If you believe in the abilities of children with ADD, they will go to the moon for you," he says. Thus, "these children need to have a parent or mentor who recognizes their abilities and believes in them. Because they are so intuitive, they know if you think they are a failure, and will live up to that expectation."

Which is probably the fear of every parent.

The American educational system, Mr. Freed says, has definitely failed many right-brained ADD children, something which Filipino parents can say with as much validity about the Philippine education system, where ADD children are routinely shamed, punished, or kicked out.

The one-size-fits-all approach just won't work with these intuitive children. Author Ronald Davis said it so aptly: "The problem (ADD) has been around ever since teachers have attempted to teach students subjects that did not interest them. In most cases, it should not be described as a learning ability, but as a teaching disability."

Mr. Freed, for his part, makes no bones about it. "They can do it hard, they can do it easy, but they'll have to do it...until then, how many bodies will be stepped over?"

Not surprisingly, Mr. Freed believes in the value of home schooling. And yes, do enlist the help of that special education teacher if you think it will benefit your child. Even traditional tutoring might work, he says, "if the kid likes the tutor," especially since "if the kid is paying attention, it's solid attention."

Psychoactive drugs. And what of psychoactive drugs, downed by more than 3.5 million American schoolchildren daily? Mr. Freed does not dismiss their role, admitting that for some - the kid who cannot stop running aimlessly or the one who cannot stop doing cartwheels -ADHD can really be a disability, for which amphetamines (Ritalin, the traditional first-line drug for ADD, is not available in the Philippines) are needed. Still, he acknowledges that ADHD is being diagnosed even in those children who do not have these, and for these kids, the right teaching methods should help.

"ADD is one condition that is over-diagnosed in children and underdiagnosed in adults," he notes.

Mr. Freed could not overemphasize the need to understand the ADD or right-brained child, and its early identification.

He urges respect for this "daydreamer who studies cloud patterns from the window of his classroom" and may someday "become one of the great thinkers of the next century, solving problems in fresh and creative ways."

And as a parent of one - pseudo-ADD or not - I am my son's best advocate

Our New Discovery: Boracay Grand Vista

A visit to the Boracay Grand Vista Hotel is always a sublime experience.
The newest and possibly the most luxurious resort and spa in the island of Boracay, it offers breathtaking vistas of verdant mountains and aquamarine waters, brilliant sunsets and faraways islands, and the never-ending stream of birds flying into the horizon -- all from the privacy of one’s room. From the moment our van entered the hotel grounds, the boys were in a state of awe.
One cannot possibly describe Boracay Grand Vista Hotel without using any superlatives. (I heard lots of "wows" from the boys.) It is a beautiful combination of the best that nature and man have to offer. Located at the upper tip of Hagdan Yapak in Station 1, the hotel is situated away from the din of Boracay’s non-stop parties, offering privacy and a sense of tranquility that no other enclave within the island can. Hidden away from view, guests who walk into its premises are immediately captivated by its impressive Moroccan-inspired architecture and its well-manicured lawn that is also home to the largest pool in the whole of Boracay. The bi-level lawn also boasts of two other pools as well as cabanas where masseuses offer massages to weary souls.

But while the hotel’s surroundings may be impressive, they cannot quite compare to the hotel’s rooms. All 41 suites of the hotel have a private pool, a wide-screen flat TV with cable, a private balcony, NDD/IDD telephone service, a mini-bar, huge bathrooms, and safety deposit vaults. Large picture windows allow guests to witness Boracay’s glorious sunsets and wake up to picturesque ocean views. A hammock by the veranda, a fruit basket, the softest beddings and towels playfully arranged to look like swans bring a touch of warmth.

The hotel has 3 junior suites, 26 honeymoon suites, 4 executive suites, 2 vista suites, 2 grand pool suites, 4 grand view suites and 1 royal suite.

Guests of Boracay Grand Vista are never far from the Boracay’s powdery white sands. A private shuttle takes guests to D’Mall and back every hour, ensuring that guests are not deprived of all that Boracay has to offer. After a day of lazing in the sun and enjoying the beach life, guests can once more trek to their little private sanctuary up the hill.

Guests will also marvel at the hotel staff’s efficient yet unobtrusive service. Hotel staff willingly accommodate guests’ needs, from checking out airline bookings to arranging for a round of golf to planning an island-hopping escapade. A restaurant, housed in a separate building adjacent to the hotel, offers various cuisines. The Blues Blue bar offers a wide array of liquors and spirits. The business center provides businessmen all the conveniences of a private office. Wi-fi and internet connections are available. A gym and spa are currently being constructed.

Although most of Boracay Grand Vista’s guests are foreigners, a package for locals has recently been introduced. Meanwhile, Boracay Grand Vista remains the island’s best-kept secret. //

Great Memories at OneMGM Boracay

(Published in BusinessMirror)

Few Boracay resorts can offer the vibrant island life while at the same time providing a measure of peace and quiet the way OneMGM Hotel does. The boys loved it here!

A sprawling garden resort between boat stations two and three, OneMGM is quicky gaining a name for itself for its good food, friendly service and great entertainment.

Just five minutes away from the beachfront, guests of OneMGM are never far away from Boracay’s famous white sands and turquoise waters, and the leisure activities that have made the island the Philippines’ new vacation capital. Guests can laze around in OneMGM’s rattan beds by the beachfront and enjoy languid summers under the watchful eyes of its staff. Isaac fell asleep on the rattan bed in the veranda, while Jacob was quite comfy in the couch. Parents can relax as their children swim in the pool, secure in the knowledge that the resort’s lifeguards are there to guard the swimmers. It was great having them there -- I didn't have to worry about the boys at all.

Though just a short walk away from the white beach, one is immediately transported to a tropical oasis upon entering OneMGM’s gates. Asian-inspired villas dot the property, a veritable garden with three pools, an open-air restaurant, and giant trampolines surrounded by lush tropical greenery. Friendly hotel attendants roam the premises in their signature yellow shirt and orange pants, flashing the sunniest smiles and offering what is probably the fastest service in the entire island. Every so often, the resort plays host to bands and shows, to the delight of its guests, many of who come from the colder climes of Europe and Asia. Weddings and conferences have been held here, too.

Other than the villas, there are also standard hotel rooms and suites in the sprawling property, where guests can likewise enjoy the niceties of city life – a mini bar, a TV with cable, a private kitchen with plates, utensils and cooking implements, a safe, hot water, and comfortable beddings. The suites, with their plump sofas and individual balconies, are perfect for families and small groups. The famous D’Mall and the wet market are easily accessible through the tricycles that pass the area, as is everything else. The resort also has regular shuttles to and from the jetty port as well as a boat that goes to Caticlan.

The OneMGM Hotel is the first of many developments that will eventually transform Boracay’s station three. Expansion plans are well underway, with the hotel’s proponents recent acquisition of the adjacent three-hectare property. This will give the resort beachfront access and the longest resort frontage in station three and in the island. The site will eventually be home to more resort rooms and villas, as well as a chapel, an aviary, more food outlets and an entertainment center. All these will make the resort a total destination.

For this summer, the resort is offering a special rate to local residents and balikbayans. For P2,499 net per person (minimum of two persons), the third person sharing the room pays just P999 while the fourth person enjoys free accommodation. The group also gets its fourth night at the resort for free. This rate includes overnight deluxe accommodations and free breakfast.

Indeed, a stay at the One MGM Resort makes for many great memories. //

People I Admire Series: Cesar Buenaventura

(I was initially hesitant to meet up with Cesar Buenaventura. I remember interviewing him when I was a young reporter during the time of President Aquino and I thought he was this pompous, impatient know-it-all. I am so glad I agreed to meet with him for this conversation. Sixteen years later, I found this man who touched me with his wisdom and his true concern for the Philippines and the youth. He was curious about how someone young -- me -- felt about things concering the nation and my family, probably because he has seen so many wasted opportunities around him. I was teary eyed when he talked about his last lunch with his best friend, Jimmy Ongpin. I wish that Cesar Buenaventura's lessons would not be wasted on my generation.)

Corporate history is filled with stories of men constantly outdoing themselves to build the enterprises that would be the bedrock of the Philippine economy; of winners rewriting the rules and conduct of business; of thinkers and doers whose work would leave a permanent imprint on the face of Philippine business.

In many of these stories, the name of Cesar Buenaventura invariably comes up. Belonging to that generation of men who witnessed the country shake off the ravages of war to become Asia’s wealthiest, only to stumble later on to economic perdition, Buenaventura has the wisdom of the years and the insight that comes with having taken a personal stake in the writing of these stories.

Twenty-six years ago, Buenaventura, then president of Pilipinas Shell, was asked by bosom friend Enrique Zobel to become chairman of the board of advisers of the fledgling Makati Business Club. The bombastic Zobel had just delivered a speech categorizing the wealthy into three groups – the “profligate rich, the idle rich and the working rich” – vilifying those who chose to stay indifferent to the decay around them, and at the same time exhorting the rest to speak up on matters that concerned the nation. For Buenaventura, it was not a difficult decision. The year was 1981, and Philippines had already earned the reputation as the sick man of Asia. Poverty and despair gnawed at the social fiber of the country, yet the government was too absorbed in its own political affairs to care about the majority. The private sector had to speak up for the Philippines in one voice.

Not one to compromise objectivity out of fear or favor, MBC never curried the favor of any administration, from President Marcos down to President Arroyo. Buenaventura remembers the MBC squarely taking on the Marcos government when it spoke up against the 11 mega-projects of the administration. Back then, it was almost a taboo to question or criticize the government, which was known to be heavy-handed in dealing with its critics. Ironically, first to speak up and most vocal against the projects was Jimmy Ongpin, then president of Benguet Corporation and brother of Bobby Ongpin, who happened to be the trade secretary and main proponent of the projects. A friend of the Ongpins to the end, Buenaventura laughs on remembering Bobby asking him to please tell Jimmy to stop criticizing and to show support for Marcos and his projects.

Buenaventura’s association with the MBC and the individuals who would play pivotal roles in recent Philippine history brought him closer to many realities that he would not have appreciated from the confines of his office.

To this day, Buenaventura calls himself a “disciple of Ninoy Aquino” after seeing him undergo a “Gandhi-like transformation” in the years following his incarceration. “I would have followed him to the gates of hell,” he said, remembering the man whose life inspired him to do more for his country than fate would have allowed him to do.

Educated by the CICM sisters in Baguio, the young Buenaventura wanted to become a doctor but was prevailed upon by his father to become an engineer instead. In the 1940s, he was admitted to the University of the Philippines – a “heresy” for his former CICM teachers who expected him to go to a Catholic university instead. But egalitarian UP was the best that could happen to the teenage Buenaventura. Rich and poor, elitists and provincianos, came to learn about engineering and experience the joys of youth at the state university, paying little mind to the fact that by the end of their freshmen year, a third of the class would have disappeared. Due to UP’s strict winnowing process, completing engineering in the prescribed four years was an accomplishment in itself. Buenaventura was all too happy to be among the 25 students who finished college on time, and eventually moved on to place in the engineering boards.

Upon graduation, Buenaventura first worked with David Consunji, then a young entrepreneur who had just started his construction business. The two would eventually strike up a friendship that would last more than six decades, and would build an empire that would help change the Philippines’ metropolitan landscape. “I was Dave’s first employee,” Buenaventura recalls. “I remember that we had one pick-up, one mixer, and one driver. We couldn’t even get to the front door of AG&P. Our payroll was between P10,000 to P15,000 a week. We built houses and labs.”

Buenaventura eventually snagged a Fulbright scholarship, and went to the United States for his master’s degree, before becoming an engineering professor. He helped build the Walt Whitman bridge in Philadelphia, and though life in the United States was good, “I always dreamed of going back to the Philippines. I was expected to come home.”

Professionals who went to the US were usually expected to join government on their return, and almost always rose up the ranks, as in the case of Public Works Secretaries Buencamino and Dans. Civil servants, in the days before the war, were highly respected by the public for their competence and integrity. Buenaventura, along with Jimmy Ongpin, were among the first professionals to come back to join the private sector. He readily rejoined Consunji upon his return, and helped build the U.P. Chapel. “I remember I would pick up Lindy (Locsin) in my Volks. He couldn’t make up his mind then if he would be an architect or a pianist.” The U.P. Chapel was finished in 1955, and the joy Buenaventura felt on its completion was only erased when the beloved UP Chaplain, Fr. Delaney, passed away ten days after the chapel was opened.

In 1956, when cars had a sticker price of P6,000 and the exchange rate stood at P2-$1, Shell offered Buenaventura a job. Compensation would be P800 during executive training and P1,200 after the training phase. This dwarfed the P400 he got
from Consunji and the P400 that UP would have given him as an assistant professor.
Moving to Shell was an easy choice. It would be his corporate home from then on, being named as its president at age 45, and moving on to become chairman of the Shell Foundation following his 15-year stint as company president.

Shell acquainted Buenaventura with some of the biggest industrialists in the Philippines, among them Enrique Zobel, whose family partnered with Shell in building a refinery. Over time, Buenaventura and Zobel struck a deep friendship, one rooted in respect for each other’s competence and made stronger by their shared values, especially in matters that pertain to people. He still remembers clearing a road strike in 1966, when militant laborers closed down the Pandacan depot, and especially cherishes the lessons learned from it.

Shell also allowed Buenaventura the opportunity to tap the Philippines’ potentials as a source of petroleum. It was a difficult venture, starting off with a failed exploration that cost Shell some $150 million. “I remember apologizing to the Managing Director in London. He told me, Cesar, don’t feel bad about it. For every sixty holes that Shell dug, only one would contain oil, but that single hole will be able to answer for the cost of digging the other 59,” he recalls.

Fortunately, the chastened Buenaventura never let go of his dream to plumb the Philippines’ waters for prized petroleum. Eventually, his efforts would lead to the discovery of Camago and later on, Malampaya. Shell ended up spending over $2 billion to build the Malampaya pipeline, and today, Malampaya is an important contributor to the Philippines’ energy needs.

Beyond these, Shell allowed Buenaventura to take a direct hand in molding many young minds to create globally productive citizens and workers. “In Shell, we developed a cadre of professionals that shows that the Filipino can do it,” he said, reciting the names of Shell homegrown talent (Ed Chua and Ely Santiago, to name a few) who have made their mark globally for their competence and hard work. In fact, he is proudest of the fact that he has “left a group of people trained to take over and with long term careers, and who could rise beyond being president of this company.”

On leaving Shell, Buenaventura decided to go into consultancy, drawing upon his vast experience sitting on the boards of First Holdings, AIG, Ayala Corporation, and Benguet Corporation. He formed the BPE Partnership, which would combined his expertise and experience, along with those of his brothers Rafael (formerly the Bangko Sentral governor) and Linda Echauz.

This was when Consunji again crossed Buenaventura’s path. Now 73, Consunji presided over the largest construction company in the Philippines but had not yet addressed succession issues. Buenaventura saw the opportunity to set matters straight for his buddy. “I told him, ‘Dave, you should take your company public. You don’t really want quarrelling cousins in your board, do you?’”

With Buenaventura as advisor, DMCI Holdings went public in 19--, a step that would not just strengthen DMCI’s financial and corporate structure, but would once again reunite the two old friends in a single company. Eventually, “Dave said ‘now that you’ve taken me public, help me run this company.’” Buenaventura said yes to Consunji and to an extension of his corporate career.

Flush with cash, Buenaventura and Consunji decided it was time for DMCI to buy out AG&P, a move that would consolidate the operations of the two giants. It was, after all, the heyday of construction, and the friends were proud to conquer the company that once towered above theirs. Their timing, though, could not have been worse. Shortly after the purchase, the Asian financial crisis unraveled, bringing AG&P, by now found out to be worth no more than a shell, to its knees. Worse, it had an army of regular workers and no projects.

Consunji entrusted Buenaventura with the task of running AG&P, which went into receivership to pave the way for its eventual restructuring. The rehabilitation process was difficult, but Buenaventura once more rose to the challenge, reengineering AG&P to specialize in the hook-up, commissioning and fabrication of steel structures. Today, AG&P is again a proud and mighty company with 4,000 workers dispatched all over the world.

If Shell taught Buenaventura the value of harnessing the talents of people, AG&P taught him the importance of relating to them as human beings. “The most unpredictable commodity is not money and materials, but manpower,” he stated. “You need to share with workers so they don’t feel exploited. You have to make them proud of the company. You should not treat them as commodity.” In fact, he reveals, AG&P provides its people with meals three times a day, with no limit to the food they can consume. As a result, people are happy. “They feel well taken care of and they have pride in their work,” he says, as he unabashedly proclaims “I am very proud of AG&P.” In fact, he tells Consunji over and over again that he wishes DMCI would not let go of AG&P.

He perfectly understands, however, that there is a time to let go, and for Buenaventura, the time to wind down is now. “I’ve let go of AIM, of UP, and will soon let go of MBC. BEP has young people running it. We’re in the process of disposing of AG&P – at a profit, of course,” he ticks off. Of course, he will still help out DMCI in policy matters, plus there is still the Shell Foundation. Now that it has come very close to eradicating malaria in Palawan, thanks to the efforts of volunteers, Buenaventura will still have to keep close reins on its operations.

Besides, he says, “retiring does not mean letting go completely.” At 76, “I am still interested and can still contribute. I will help in the nature of what I’ve been doing in the last 58 years.” What matters the most, Buenaventura reckons, is that “I enjoy what I’m doing.” And for corporate Philippines, this is what truly matters. //

Jacob's First Holy Communion

February 2, 2008, Feast of the Presentation of Jesus, was an equally special day for the PAREF-Northfield grade one boys and their families. That beautiful Saturday morning, the boys received their First Holy Communion at the St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
In a ceremony that was elegant in its simplicity, the 35 boys, resplendent in their all-white outfits and bearing lighted candles, walked down the aisle for the Candle Ceremony. The Feast of the Presentation is also referred to as the Candlemas, and recalls the time when St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, in keeping with Jewish custom, took the baby Jesus to the temple with an offering of turtledoves.
Fr. Belarmino reminded the boys that the light on their candles represented Jesus Christ, who they were about to receive that day. He also shared excerpts from a dialogue that Pope Benedict XVI had with first communicants, which proved very meaningful and informative for the boys, their parents and their teachers. A communicant, for instance, asked the Pope how he could tell that Jesus was indeed present. The Pope likened Jesus’ presence to electricity. One could not see electricity, but could feel it in the form of light.
He also likened the need for regular confession to the need to clean up one’s room regularly. The dirt is always the same, he noted, but you just have to keep on cleaning up.
Preparing 7- and 8-year olds to receive two Sacraments (the boys went for their first confession on December 13, 2007, and went for another one the day before their communion) is always a big responsibility, but Fr. Belarmino and Mr. Batongbakal, along with class adviser Mr. Daquiz, were there to help the boys and their parents through the entire process. Their doctrinal formation started as early as last year, when the boys were in Prep, and went into high gear when they reached grade one, with Fr. Belarmino taking a personal hand in the spiritual formation of the boys and their parents.
Alongside this, the parents relentlessly presided over the details of the celebration, forming committees in charge of the preparations as early as July, 2007. Through the able direction of parent coordinators Mon and Tintin Carmona, parents wholeheartedly helped out in organizing the event. All in all, 30 grade one boys, four grade two boys, and a non-PAREF student joined the Communion Rites. The latter, who came from a non-sectarian school, was accommodated by the parents on the request of Mr. Batongbakal in the spirit of generosity and in the belief that every child deserves to partake of the Eucharist in a meaningful way.
On a personal note, it was especially touching seeing my own son receive the Eucharist with the faith to know that he was indeed receiving Jesus Christ. I initially feared that there was too little time to prepare my son to receive such an important Sacrament, but that glorious morning in February, I knew in my heart – as all other parents surely did – that the boys had indeed begun their journey of faith. //

Biomedical Treatment now in the Philippines

(Published in the Philippines Graphic Magazine, April 2008)

Every 20 minutes, a child with autism is born. In the Philippines and around the world, cutting across cultural and socio-economic lines, autism numbers continue to rise, confounding health professionals, overwhelming educators, and crushing the hearts of parents and family members.

As with all diseases with no known cure, autism – a lifelong condition -- continues to vex all who have to deal with it on a daily basis, without as much as a glimmer of hope. Management of autism traits – ranging from the inability to communicate meaningfully to unexplained tantrums, learning disabilities, and repetitive movements like hand flapping or twirling – entails a multidisciplinary approach. This often consists of behavioral management, physical, occupational and speech therapy, and special education, among others. But while helpful, none directly address that which causes the disorder itself.
Thus, when the first accounts of autism recoveries were recorded and brought to the fore, the autism community lost no time in embracing that which allowed children to break free of their socio-emotional cages, prisons that do not allow them to communicate meaningfully, even with the people who love them the most. The astonishing recoveries, according to the parents, happened when milk and wheat were completely eliminated from the autistic children’s diets. Children who were previously non-verbal went on to outtalk their siblings, began playing like children should, and finally connected with the people who, in the past, they regarded just as they would a blank wall. The unexplained screaming and tantrums disappeared and in their wake emerged happy, healthy children – something their parents could only dream of in the past.
Today, the ranks of recovered children includes some Filipinos who were able to climb out of the dark on account of their parents’ relentless efforts to experiment with what is today known as the biomedical approach to treating autism.

To explain the recoveries, it was shown that autism symptoms and behaviors are caused by opiates – substances found in drugs like heroin and morphine – that the body produces upon the ingestion of gluten and casein, proteins found in wheat and milk. In a healthy body, the digestive track takes in these proteins easily, and breaks them down into peptides that the body can utilize. Casein is broken down into large peptides like caseomorphine, which should be broken down further into smaller amino acids for eventual digestion.

In children with autism, gluten and casein are not digested properly to become simple amino acids, but remain in peptide form. In its peptide form, casein has opiate properties similar to morphine, and may plug into the same opiate receptor sites in the brain. Gluteomorphin, which also resembles morphine, is derived from gluten, found in wheat, barley, rye and oats and has been verified by mass spectrometry techniques to be present in unusual quantities in urine samples of children with autism.

Most autistic children were also found to have leaky guts, allowing relatively large molecules to enter the bloodstream from the intestine in abnormal quantities. As a result, these opiates leak from the intestine into the bloodstream, and eventually cross the blood-brain barrier to affect the brain and bring about the bizarre behaviors observed among children with autism. These behaviors disappear when the opiates are removed from the bloodstream, which will only happen when gluten and casein are no longer available in the body.
Hungry for a miracle, the autism community embraced the wheat-free, milk-free diet (better known as the gluten-free, casein-free diet for the specific proteins found in them) to amazing results for some, and a measure of improvement for others. Specific vitamins and nutrients – zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B12 with magnesium, among others -- were also noted to cause improvements in the behavior of autistic children. The biomedical approach eventually snowballed through the years to become the lifeline of many an autistic child.
Underpinned by the GFCF diet, the biomedical approach is also the cornerstone of the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN) movement. DAN is the fruit of the efforts of professionals committed to aiding recovery from autism. In 1995, the Autism Research Institute convened a group of about 30 carefully selected physicians and scientists in Dallas for the express purpose of sharing information and ideas toward defeating autism as quickly as possible. The participants represented the most advanced thinking by some of the best minds in the autism world, including Dr. Bernard Rimland, whose work has contributed much to the modern world’s understanding of autism. They shared a common dissatisfaction with the way physicians treated autism, mainly through drugs, which are believed to cause devastating side effects without addressing the root of the problem itself. They also believed that the right diet and nutritional supplements could be used to alleviate autistic symptoms.
DAN would also become the beacon of hope of thousands of families all over the world struggling with autism. In the United States, the autism community has openly embraced the DAN protocol, noting how it complements other therapies such as occupational therapy, speech therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Several physicians began taking part in conference-trainings that would certify them as DAN doctors. In the Philippines, just as many parents are taking up the DAN protocol, paying little regard to the staggering costs and the logistical nightmares involved.

Until last year, Filipinos who wanted to follow the DAN protocol for their autistic children had to go to Singapore or Hong Kong where the nearest DAN doctors held office. Urine, stool and blood specimens were drawn there and then sent by courier to the United States, where these were analyzed to determine the presence and levels of allergens, metals (including lead and mercury), yeast, bacteria and viruses. After a two to three-week wait, the results are sent back to the DAN doctors for analysis and the appropriate nutritional supplements, as well as other adjunct therapies are prescribed.

Until recently, the Philippines did not have its own DAN doctor, but a mother’s concern for her son prompted pediatrician Rhodora Ibasco to work towards a DAN certification. Today, Dr. Ibasco is the only DAN physician in the Philippines, and more than a hundred Filipino families have sought her services since her certification in late 2007. Many are comforted by the fact that she charges a very reasonable P750 per session, as opposed to the minimum $200 or so charged by her foreign counterparts.

Today, Dr. Ibasco holds fort at the Comprehensive Clinic for Autism and Related Disorders in Quezon City, a center funded by another parent with an autistic child, Carlina Roa. The clinic also has a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and an infrared sauna.
It offers the same services offered by the Hong Kong and Singapore clinics through its tie-up with the Great Plains Laboratory in Kansas City, where the analysis of urine, stool and blood samples are done.

Because Roa is based in Cebu, a similar clinic has been opened in Cebu in February 2008. Tests to determine levels of toxins in the child’s body are offered by the clinic. Comprehensive tests, such as the complete autism panel, or individual ones, such as the Organic Acid Test, the hair metals test, the Ig test, are done in the clinic. Supplements, such as MB12 injections, cod liver oil and probiotics may be ordered through the clinic.

The clinic, painted a cheerful yellow, has rubber decals of its patient’s names adorning its walls, with small animals and flowers added to take out the gloom that have so marked the lives of these children. Patients, aged from 1 to 22, and their families march into the clinic brimming with optimism, hoping that biomedical treatment is the missing piece in the autism puzzle.

Dr. Ibasco acknowledges that while the biomedical route is expensive, Filipino parents are ready to give it a try. She points out, however, that the GFCF diet is essential for any of the therapies to succeed. “The Filipino diet is essentially GFCF,” she notes, pointing out that rice does not contain gluten and that milk is something children usually outgrow by their toddler years. The only culprits to be eliminated from the diet will be bread, cakes, and chips.

This, of course, is easier said than done. Autistic children have been noted to self-limit their diets to what is usually bad for them, providing clues of a biological addiction. Parent after parent tell of their children’s meal demands: McDonald’s chicken nuggets day in and day out for one; milk and Oreos for three straight years for another; Chuckie chocolate milk in the same box and nothing else for another. (This author’s autistic child, for instance, still throws a major tantrum if he does not get his Jollibee spaghetti or Greenwich ham and cheese pizza daily. It took months of behavior and occupational therapy to finally get him to eat a bowl of rice with soup.) Succeeding at GFCF entails a lot of discipline and sacrifice. Many family members cannot understand how something so good and so loved by the child should be withheld. “It’s really hard to implement at first, but you just have to persevere,” said Dr. Ibasco.

The tests, too, are expensive. The comprehensive autism panel costs P86,500 while the minor autism panel is P49,500. Even individual tests such as the Organic Acid Test go for P11,000, an amount equivalent to 22 OT sessions. Dr. Ibasco urges parents to go for the autism panels if they can afford it as these provide greater information, but in case they cannot, then the individual tests will suffice.

Biomedical treatment, she notes, will be truly effective when done simultaneously with other known therapies (OT, SP and ABA) as well as a good special education program.

Dr. Ibasco takes heart in the fact that there is greater awareness about autism now. Already, the American Academy of Pediatrics has come up with its list of red flags of autistic traits to be used in the early screening of children. More people are also coming to know about the biomedical approach, and embrace it even if many other physicians dismiss it as some sort of voodoo. At the recent autism conference in Manila, a known developmental pediatrician openly attacked biomedical treatment as unproven and without scientific basis. But Dr. Ibasco echoed researchers and parents when she says “why wait for the evidence (that the physicians are asking for) when the results are already there?”

Already, parents are getting more vocal about their experiences and successes, and many have educated themselves to an extent that draws Dr. Ibasco’s admiration. “Some of the parents I meet in the conferences know more than I do,” she smiled. Parents are the strongest advocates of autism, and their efforts have spurred authorities to pour more resources into its understanding. Jenny McCarthy’s appearance in Oprah, wherein she spoke of her son’s recovery after he took the biomedical route, also brought biomedicine within the sphere of understanding of most families with autistic members. In the Philippines, hundreds of parents are part of an online support system (www.autismpinoy.com) where they trade information on biomedical and other treatments, GFCF recipes, among others, and provide the emotional support and understanding that only those who have lived with someone with autism ever can.

Unable to find sources of the needed supplements, some parents have taken matters into their hands, and today are the exclusive distributors of these products. CCARD, for instance, is a distributor of the New Beginnings line of nutritionals. The list of parents who have turned their despair into an enterprise to help their children and other families struggling with autism continues to grow.

As the battle against autism rages, Dr. Ibasco urges families of autistic individuals to “go natural” in their lifestyles. Clean surroundings, she said, would be a good start. She urges families not to use “katol” or insecticides but to opt for natural cleaners like vinegar instead. “Genetics is the trigger of autism, but it is the environment that pulls that trigger,” she concluded. //