Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for International Affairs, and Attached and Supervised Agencies (IAASA) Emmeline Aglipay Villar and Pasay City Mayor Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano lead the ribbon cutting of the first Philippine Disability Expo and Convention (ConEx) on Monday (July 15) at the SMX Convention in Pasay City.

The ribbon cutting marks the start of the 3-day ConEx which will run from July 15 to 17 and features exhibitors from government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the private sector to provide services, products and job opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Other key officials present in the ribbon cutting ceremony were National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) Executive Director Glenda Relova; Project Inclusion Network (PIN) Executive Director Grant Javier; Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) Executive Director Undersecretary Angelo Tapales; Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Asst. Secretary Maria Teresa Almojuela; Department of Justice (DOJ) Asst. Secretary Randolph Pascasio; Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Benjo Benavides; and Philippine Postal Corporation Chairman, Postmaster General, and CEO Michael Planas.

DSWD officials who graced the event were DSWD Undersecretary Edward Justine Orden; Asst. Secretaries Elaine Fallarcuna, Rodolfo Santos, Gina Wenceslao, and Juan Carlo Marquez; as well as Directors Justin Caesar Anthony Batocabe, Lara Duran, and Dianne Joie Ruiz. #