Filipino on road to sainthood, recognized by Vatican
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00:00 A disabled kid and patient of the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation
00:03 who found grace and joy in spite of his disability, poverty and misfortune
00:07 and whose acts of kindness, friendship and compassion
00:10 have many seeking to canonize him for a virtuous life
00:13 lived as our Sujin Kim reports.
00:16 I saw the determination of Darwin.
00:21 He saw his illness as a mission.
00:25 God gave him that illness to inspire others.
00:32 Servant of God Darwin Ramos is one of the Filipinos on the road to sainthood
00:37 recognized by the Vatican.
00:39 He serves as an exemplary role model for children,
00:42 people with special abilities and people experiencing hardship in life.
00:46 Darwin is exactly the kind of image
00:50 that Pope Francis is willing to show to the world.
00:54 He is willing to show Darwin's image to the world
00:59 to inspire children, people with special abilities
01:03 and Filipinos to become saints.
01:10 Because Darwin's father was an alcoholic
01:12 coupled with their family being impoverished,
01:15 at a very early age, Darwin took the reins
01:18 and started working as a scavenger to provide for his family.
01:21 They lived on the streets. They had no house.
01:26 I think they had nine siblings.
01:28 He was the eldest.
01:30 He was economically poor.
01:32 When Darwin was five years old,
01:34 his mom noticed changes in his physical abilities.
01:37 The child would lose power and control of his lower extremities.
01:41 He would stumble often and eventually,
01:43 he permanently lost feeling in his limbs.
01:45 He could no longer stand and he used his hands to hoist himself
01:49 to get to where he needed to go and get things done.
01:52 He had a hard time physically.
01:56 I saw his struggle.
01:59 His illness was progressive.
02:02 It was a kind of illness where the muscle would become loose.
02:06 It was irreversible.
02:09 Darwin had been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
02:12 and his dad used his condition to make money.
02:15 Darwin turned into a panhandler
02:17 underneath one of the LRT stations in Manila.
02:20 The money, his dad mostly used for alcohol.
02:23 Yet Darwin stayed positive.
02:25 He was happy that he was still able to feed his family
02:28 through the alms he received.
02:29 He was a mature brother.
02:33 He would just let his siblings eat even if he didn't eat.
02:38 In 2006, the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation
02:41 approached Darwin and took him off the streets.
02:44 The foundation is known for helping and assisting
02:46 the poorest of the poor and the abandoned
02:49 along the streets of Manila.
02:50 Not once did Darwin consider his illness a plight.
02:53 Instead, he thought of it as his mission,
02:56 a mission he had from and for God.
02:58 Amidst the pain, the illness, and the weight of it all,
03:02 the smile never fled Darwin's face.
03:04 It was always there to shine and show people
03:06 there was always a reason to turn that frown upside down.
03:10 And that was the joy inside him that never dimmed or flickered.
03:14 Sometimes I hear him cry.
03:16 And when I go to him, he'll say,
03:22 he'll ask me if I'm okay.
03:24 Even if he's having a hard time,
03:26 he doesn't show that he's having a hard time.
03:29 Before Darwin found eternal rest,
03:31 he was intubated and barely breathing on his own,
03:34 but he managed to scribble on a piece of paper
03:36 how thankful and happy he was, even in the brink of death,
03:40 and bearing so much pain.
03:41 Darwin was declared a servant of God in November 2018.
03:45 The Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation has 30 shelters around the country
03:49 currently helping more than 400 children,
03:52 providing for them education, sustenance, security,
03:56 and above all, love.
03:58 The 25-year-old foundation is sustained by volunteers
04:01 from different countries like France, Germany, and Spain.
04:04 For anyone wishing to volunteer and donate,
04:07 the Tulay ng Kabataan can be found in Calayaan Avenue, Quezon City.
04:11 They can also be contacted through their phone or email.
04:14 This Holy Week made Darwin's story become a beacon of hope
04:17 for people who are heavy-hearted and feeling hopeless.
04:20 Father Matthew reminds people to keep faith in God
04:23 and trust in His love and mercy.
04:26 No matter what you're going through in life,
04:28 just serve God,
04:30 and always have a heart that is ready to obey God.
04:35 Sujin Kim from the National TV Network
04:38 for the New and Better Philippines.