Comedienne-Actress Candy Pangilinan opened up about the things she did for her son, Quentin, who has special needs.
In an interview with Toni Gonzaga, Pangilinan shared the discrimination she and her son faced while he was about to graduate from kindergarten.
She explained that Quentin already went through kindergarten twice and wasn’t able to graduate.
“Diba ang galing? Nagma-masters ng kinder. O mga anak niyo ba nag masters ng kinder? Hindi,” Pangilinan managed to joke amid the emotional interview.
With the suggestion of her mother, Pangilinan transferred her son to a bigger school.
Just as they thought that he was about to graduate, the actress got informed that her son was pulled out from the ceremony.
She immediately went to the school and ask the principal for the reason behind the decision.
The principal said, “Hindi lang naman po kinder ang gra-graduate. May ibang levels din. Paano pag nag-wala ang bata? Nakakahiya.”
Pangilinan tried assuring that she will practice with her son just for him to graduate, but the principal was unfazed.
“Umiyak ako sa principal. Nagmakaawa ako,” Pangilinan shared.
On the way home, Pangilinan asked Quentin if he still wanted to go back to the school sometime later to practice going up and down the stage for his graduation.
“Sabi niya ‘I’m good. I’m okay.’ Edi lalo akong naiyak.”
Determined to give her son the graduation he deserves, she talked to the barangay captain and started organizing a graduation ceremony for her son.
“Nag-invite ako ng mga taga-church [na] taga-palakpak. Grumaduate siya sa plaza namin.”
Pangilinan said that parents like her will do the same things she did to her son, out of love.
“All parents, all mothers, who go through that, siguro gagawa rin sila ng paraan to rise above it. Because I think all mothers want the best for their kid and they will just cope.”
She also admitted that whenever someone asks her how she managed to overcome the challenges and raise her son at the same time, she didn’t know what to answer.
“Di ko alam. Diba? Because it will just happen. Parang kasama na yun sa pagka-gawa sa’yo…. Mothers are made with a purpose. Totoo ‘yan.”
Pangilinan also opened up about how people didn’t want to play with Quentin at parties to the point that he would bring his toys to entertain himself throughout the event.
“Yung aattend ka ng party, walang maglalaro sa anak mo. Si Quentin umabot sa pag alam niyang aattend ng party, nagdadala ng sariling laruan. Siguro alam niyang walang maglalaro sa kanya.”
She also opened up about the discrimination made against her as she’s a single mom.
“Tapos dahil single mom ako, I had experiences na yung sa school, di ako tinatanggap kasi single mom.”
But even though it was unfortunate that her marriage didn’t go so well, she still considers it as a blessing as it prepared her to face the situation of Quentin.
“Everything was a blessing. ‘Yung hiwalayan, parang hinanda ako ni Lord. Binago niya ‘yung pagkatao ko, ‘yung mindset ko, ‘yung perception ko about things para handa ako for Quintin.” (JM, msn daily pedia)