No excuses

Young man with cerebral palsy graduates from PUP Open University; eyes public service

- By JUNEP OCAMPO

At 23, Jomari Ferrer dreams of a future in public service. He travels the streets of Pangasinan on two wheels, not with his feet but on his trusty wheelchair. Last Saturday, Sept. 20, he traveled a road far more meaningful — the stage of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Gymnasium, where received his diploma in Bachelor of Public Administration.

To many, Jomari could be mistaken for an ordinary Gen Z student — bright, digitally adept, and hardworking. But one look at him reveals the extraordinary truth — Jomari has lived all his life with cerebral palsy.

With his neck bent to the left, his hand crooked, and a posture reminiscent of the late physicist Stephen Hawking, Jomari was lifted by loved ones onto the stage. The applause that greeted him was not merely for academic completion, but for a lifelong triumph against the odds.