Cid Continues his Journey
Cid, the CPU HRM heartthrob.Last installment of the story about Cid Tampo, a child with autism who has come a long way
WE continued to look and we spotted a newly formed school nearby, Philippine American Progress School (PAPSI), which fortunately welcomed Cidboy. We will always be grateful to PAPSI.
There he struggled initially with his condition. But he was accepted by the teachers, the school administration, his classmates and the other pupils.
There were probably isolated incidences of ostracism from some of the parents and other pupils because one night during his prayer time with us, he cried while praying;
“Lord, please help me get rid of all autism.”
Generally, however, his days in PAPSI were rewarding, if not altogether a blessing. He finished his elementary and high school in PAPSI.
For one, his admission paved the way for other autistic children to be also admitted to PAPSI and opened the minds of the teachers about autism.
Second, the other parents became more tolerant.
Third, he was made to participate in dance presentations. It was in PAPSI that he learned and started to sing in public. He was made to sing almost every time they had a program in school.
Fourth, we saw how our son was accepted for what he is. Almost everybody was nice to him. He even endeared himself to his trisikad driver who was loyal to him all his years in PAPSI.
Lastly, it was during his grade school and high school days that he became active in boy scouting. He attended several city-wide and provincial jamborees. He even attended the BIMP-EAGA Boy Scout Jamboree in Davao City where a lot of other boy scouts from the country as well as Indonesia and Malaysia, among others, befriended him.
This culminated in his attendance to the 2007 National Jamboree in Mt. Makiling, Los Banos, Laguna sometime October 2007.
Cid voted during the recent elections.He was chosen PAPSI’s Outstanding Boy Scout for several years.
We were all there to witness his high school graduation in 2008, including his trisikad driver. His Manong Toto produced a special thank you to PAPSI and this was played during their graduation night.
What is not known to a lot of people is that at home, Cid is an outstanding boy. He cleans the house. He wipes the table after meals. And he does this with all the trappings, mask and all.
He leads the prayer before meals, and before bedtime. He prays for almost everybody he knows. Why, he even prays for peace in Jerusalem!
He goes to choir practice every Saturday 6:00 pm like clockwork. You cannot beat autistics in routine. He goes to church ahead of us on Sundays. But not before badgering his mom for 5 pesos he would drop to the offering plate and 20 pesos for his ‘Missions’ envelop.
THE HOUSE OF EL CID
At home, he shuts the outside world out. He talks to himself a lot, imagining he is Kevin Garnett, or Lebron James or Kobe Bryant. Or even his classmates. He does what his Manang Inday calls ‘chicken head’.
He can sing. He has already sung in SM City many times, at Jaro Plaza, and at CPU. He sings non-stop. My favorite has always been his version of Elton John’s ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ and Backstreet Boys’ ‘When you say nothing at all’.
I don’t know how his mother will react to his ‘Ugoy ng Duyan’.
If his mother is doing the ironing, he does the sorting and distribution of the ironed clothes.
Every Friday afternoon, like clockwork, he cleans our room and changes the beddings. I bet regular 21 year-olds do not do that even for a P100 reward.
We take him whatever his situation is. We love him however he is. We are proud of him.
Yes, sometimes we scold him if he throws a tantrum. But we always love him. We will always drop everything else where he is concerned.
Right now his Manong Toto is taking care of him. Driving him to school and back. Helping him with his lessons. Sometimes even attending his classes for him.
Last May 10, 2010, he stood in the long line with us under the heat of the sun for 2-1/2 hours for the country’s first ever automated elections. We brought a camera to record that milestone for him.
If only the country knew that what made the last elections special was the participation of an autistic voter.
On that day, an autistic voter cast his ballot for the present Congressman of Iloilo City and the present Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Talk about processing information, observation, and experience to make one’s conclusion and choice.
Cid has come a long, long way.
We love him enough to name our house ‘The House of El Cid’ after him.
He is our resident angel. God’s reminder to us that He will always be there. At home with us. At work with us. Everywhere with us. Because Cid is there.
Sometime early May of 2010, I was working in the garden when it suddenly rained. The raindrops were big and a few seconds of the rain already had me soaking wet. So I ran for the shelter of the house.
When I reached the main door, it just opened as if automatic, and I felt a warm towel wrapped my head and rubbed my back with a strength that was only too familiar. With a comforting warmth that was, also, too familiar.
That can only come from a son.
Cid.
