24 July 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto opened its doors on July 21 to guests from the Filipino community in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for a lecture, dialogue and on-site services demonstration in observance of the 2015 National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.

The activity was jointly organized by the Consulate General, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO)-Toronto and the Social Security System (SSS) to underscore the importance of a hale and hearty living, especially in a foreign country. Dr. Sherrie-Ann Vergara-Dumaguing lectured on the disability laws of Ontario and how Filipinos in the province may be able to avail of the services provided under these laws should the need arise. Dr. Vergara-Dumaguing, who is a Disability Adjudicator with Manulife Insurance in Canada, also briefly touched on the existing parallel legislation in the Philippines for Persons with Disability (PWDs) for the benefit of the audience, who were all of Filipino-descent.

The lecture was followed by a talk on dental health and hygiene by Dr. Eric Domingo of Kenway Dental Care (Domingo and Associate), a Filipino dentist based in the Kennedy/Scarborough area. After his talk, Dr. Domingo gave an on-the-spot dental consultation for interested guests.

Mr. Jaime Torres, a massage therapist and fitness enthusiast, also performed a stress-buster massage demonstration on-site.  Several audience members gamely availed of these on-site services, which were rendered free of charge.

The audience then had a short dialogue with Mr. Roberto Roldan, the SSS Representative to Canada, who enumerated the benefits given by SSS to their members who had the misfortune of encountering conditions that lead to disability. END