Ted Ponferrada is a man of faith who continues to inspire his fellow blind and other people as well. He lost his eyesight when his grandmother applied herbal medicine that made his sore eyes worse. Instead of lamenting about his situation, he pushed forward.
Ted was one of the Pitong Pinoy awardees by Yahoo! Philippines in the year 2012. Back in 2007, Ponferrada led the creation of Braille “Passion of Christ” and spread it in Legazpi City. He wanted to give his time to God during that Lent and join the “Pabasa.”
“We want to raise awareness that blind people like us can [also] join the Lenten observance and sing the Pasyon as well as the dilat (sighted) can,” Ted said in an interview with the Philippine Inquirer.
Ted along with sixteen people took part in the 24-hour reading of the Pasyon at their barangay in Pasay City after the success of his advocacy and their group continues to read the Pasyon during the Lenten season.
“I help fellow blind and I’d like to inspire people. For me, being a handicap is nothing. We are normal people who just lost our sight. Blindness is a mere inconvenience, not a handicap,” Ted told Yahoo! Southeast Asia.
Aside from leading an advocacy for the blind, he is known for being a hardworking father and a loving husband. Despite his inability to see, Ted was able to provide for his three children, one of whom graduated a BS Mining Engineering degree in UP Diliman. He still works as a masseur in a mall in Ortigas and plays the rondalla at Duty Free Philippines.
Keep up the good work, Ted! You have inspired us through your selflessness and dedication. Indeed, you have kept the faith.
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